How Dare He?
by That Buggy Girl
Summary: It's Misao's 18th birthday and the Oniwabanshu head out to celebrate. A young man's declaring his love for Misao now that she's a woman and what's this? Aoshi is jealous! rated for mild language and slightly graphic description
1. Author's Notes and Prologue

Beforehand: This was a challenge fic issued to me by Zanza, Writer-for-Hire, after she wrote a request for me and Darkness Eclipsed. She gave me a title: "How Dare He?" and a plot, which is thus: 

It's Misao's eighteenth birthday and the Oniwabanshu go to the Shirobeko to celebrate. Misao's thinking that maybe since she's a woman now, Aoshi will pay more attention to her, but the attention she gets is from another man! He declares his love and intentions to begin courting her. He's persistent, Aoshi is jealous and everything is going wrong! What's Misao to do??

(That summary was actually given to me by Zanza…6_6)

She gave me the above info and said it was up to me to write the actually story. Well, I'm up to a challenge, so here we go…

***

Early one November morning…

Misao Makimachi leapt out of bed and ran to the window. Throwing open the shutters, she allowed sunlight to spill into her room.

The bright light caused her to blink, but she stared outside, taking in the crisp November air and the world below. It was a glorious day, perfect for celebrating.

And celebrating she would be. It was her birthday -her eighteenth- and she was to be considered a real woman.

__

I'm an adult now. She thought as she ran a comb through her long hair, _I'm not a kid any more. Maybe now Aoshi-sama will realize how much I love him. Maybe he won't see me as the same little kid he helped raise. Maybe he'll tell me he loves me too…_

Squealing, she began to braid her hair. Then she had second thoughts --_Maybe I should leave it down long, just this once. Nah…_She smiled to herself,_ He's used to seeing it braided._

After plaiting her long hair -with much difficulty, as the ends twined themselves together while she was braiding and she had to keep untangling them- she dressed. It was an important day. She had to choose her wardrobe carefully.

On went a blue kimono. Although she had some other very pretty clothes, blue was her favorite color. Blue, just like Aoshi-sama's icy eyes. She tied her obi -embroidered with orangish maple leaves- around her waste, the knot in the back. Someday -she didn't know when, but someday- she would wear that knot in the front. Someday, after Aoshi married her.

Humming to herself, she pulled on a pair of socks, followed by her sandals. Completing the outfit was a violet haori, which she grabbed from a hook by the door.

Pulling on the jacket, she bounded down the stairs and into the front room. "Ohayo gozaimasu!"

"Happy birthday, Misao." The Okina, Nenji Kashiwajaki greeted her.

"Thanks, Gramps!" She grinned, "I know it's still early, but let's go celebrate!"

This was met with cheers from her companions, with the exception of Aoshi Shinomori. He stood in the doorway, his usual expression on his face. If one looked carefully, they would be able to see a trace of a smile in his ice blue eyes. He shook his head slightly, stepping out of the room. Already a woman and still so much a child. His Misao had grown up splendidly. 


	2. Declarations of Love

Jishin Kanemochi was waiting. What he was waiting for was something he had desired for a long time. It was her birthday. He thanked the gods for that. Three years older than Misao, he had lusted after the birthday girl for some time. They had been playmates as small children and he'd watched her grow from the snot-nosed brat she'd once been to the woman before him.

Jishin's father was a rich merchant and one of the most affluent businessmen in Kyoto. To say he didn't approve of his son pursuing Misao was an understatement. The girl was an orphan, she belonged to that group associated with the drug dealer Kanryu Takeda, and she had always been a brat. So Kana Kanemochi informed his son that he would not be allowed to marry until after he was eighteen and the woman he chose as his bride was past that same age. This was quite cunning on his part; he knew there would be a three-year gap between his son's birthday and the girl's.

The young man smiled to himself. There was no way Misao could turn him down. He was attractive, with dark brown hair and vivid green eyes, he was rich, and after he inherited the family business, he would be powerful.

Clutching a bouquet of flowers, he had sauntered down the street and was now staked out in front of the Shirobeko. Misao and her companions had celebrated her last five birthdays at the restaurant and he would be waiting when they arrived.

"Since it's my birthday, can I get drunk? I want plum wine." Misao skipped along ahead of her friends, a happy smile on her face, "I'm all grown up, right?" She giggled, "So it's okay if I get plastered."

"Absolutely not." Aoshi's voice was its usual deadpan. The last thing he needed on his hands was a drunken Misao. He himself didn't drink and -if he could help it- neither would Misao.

"Oh, lighten up, Aoshi-sama!" She looked over her shoulder, winking at him, "You're such a wet blanket!"

A small frown crossed his face. A wet blanket, was he? Well, he was sorry if he spoiled her birthday, but she was not going to be getting drunk. The thought of an inebriated Misao made him shudder inwardly. She was already loud and outspoken without the aid of alcohol. His mental conception of her under the influence was quite terrifying.

Jishin's head snapped up at the sound of Misao's voice pleading with some one to allow her to get hammered. He strode confidently down the street towards her, looking at the flowers to make sure they still looked fresh and hadn't begun to droop. 

Ah, she was a sight of perfection standing there in her lovely cobalt kimono, the indigo obi tied around her slender waste. Her hair rustled around her face on the breeze, her long braid quivering down her back.

Only some one who truly loved Misao would have thought she was beautiful at that particular moment. Her face was red and she was yelling at Aoshi, ranting and raving about how she was an adult and could handle a little wine. The ice man looked a little aggravated by the birthday girl's behavior, but he remained calm, his expression one of the utmost disapproval. 

"I said 'no,' Misao." His voice was full of warning, conveying the message that she had better shut up if she knew what was good for her.

She made a whumping noise -a sort of "harrumph"- and folded her arms across her chest. Some birthday this was. He still treated her like a baby. She continued walking, her face contorted in a scowl. Nothing was going as she hoped it would.

She was so angry, she just stalked past Jishin, not noticing her former playmate standing there, holding the bunch of flowers. "Misao-chan?" His self-assurance was unaffected by her anger.

"What is it?!" She roared, whiling to face him. Then her face flushed red. "Ji-kun?" She blinked her blue eyes, "Is that you?"

"Happy birthday, Misao-chan." He offered her the flowers and she took them, burying her face in the delicate blossoms and inhaling their sweet perfume. Then she shot Aoshi a look, her eyes seeming to say _See?? This is the kind of thing you should be doing for me!_

"Arigato, Ji-kun." She smiled sweetly at him, her arms wrapping around him in a tight hug, hoping her affectionate attitude would make her beloved quite jealous. Two years had passed since Aoshi had seen the light during his final battle with Himura and he had only begun to thaw slightly. She was getting tired of waiting, although she would never give up on him.

Truth be told, the kodachi-wielding man was a tad bit jealous. You wouldn't know it to look at him, but he was rather upset to see Misao so comfortable and friendly with another man.

"You've grown up to be very pretty."

Aoshi's frown deepened at the sight of Misao blushing at the boy's words. An unusual emotion was washing over him as he watched the girl who spent most of her time declaring her love for him interacting with this handsome young man as if they were lovers. He was more than a little jealous. 

"You don't look so bad yourself. I remember when I used to beat you up while we played together." Misao said affectionately, "You were such a scrawny kid."

"Well, I'm a man now." He said smoothly, "And you're quite the woman."

__

When she used to…When the hell was that?? Aoshi thought back over the years. He never before had wondered about what Misao had done with herself while he and the others were gone. She must have kept herself amused by playing with this rich boy.

More blushing on Misao's behalf. No one had ever carried on that way over her before. And Jishin was so handsome! Almost as much so as Aoshi-sama. If only he would say things so sweet to her… "So, what are you doing in this part of town?" She asked casually.

"I knew it was your birthday, Misao-chan, and I knew you would be here to celebrate. I came with the intention of telling you this: I love you."

Misao's cerulean eyes nearly bugged out of her face. Her mouth fell open and she tried very hard to shut it. "You…You…You what?" She stammered.

Aoshi's eyes narrowed slightly. So that was the boy's intention all along. Well, he wouldn't stand for it. Misao wasn't going to be reeled in by some hoity-toity rich snob. Not before he had a chance to -Oh, Sweet Buddha! What the hell was he thinking?

"I love you. As of today, since you have reached the age my father desires my bride to be, I'm courting you."

"You're what?!" The female ninja's face turned an interesting shade of scarlet.

__

He's what?! Aoshi's cold gaze quickly fell upon the young man. Courting Misao? _His_ Misao?! There was no way…He wouldn't allow it. Then he relaxed slightly. _Misao won't be interested, _he reminded himself, _There's no way she would do that to me. She won't betray me for this little brat_. 

"But…You…I'm…You can't-" A confused expression crossed Misao's face. Everything was so wrong. Aoshi-sama was supposed to be the one giving her flowers and telling her she had grown up pretty. Aoshi-sama was the one who was supposed to be saying he loved her, not some man she used to play in the street with. It was all wrong!

The rest of the Oniwabanshu watched curiously to see how this would play out, their gazes switching from Aoshi to Misao to Jishin and back again. Of course Misao would choose Aoshi…Wouldn't she?

The young woman finally composed herself enough to answer him in a coherent manner. "I'll have to get back to you on that one, Jishin. My friends and I are going to dinner to celebrate my birthday."

Aoshi's eyebrows twitched ever so slightly. Why wasn't she telling him no?? She couldn't be seriously considering his proposal, could she? His throat constricted with rage. Some strange new feeling was overwhelming him. What was this…? He felt numb, empty. Sad. This…this _little boy _came out of nowhere and…How dare he? _How dare he?? _If he allowed any emotion to show, anguish would have been written across his face.

Dinner was quiet. Misao looked surprisingly pensive. She was confused. Aoshi-sama hadn't said a word to her about anything since they arrived at the Shirobeko. She wondered what he was thinking, if he was angry at her, if he was sad, if he was jealous. Just once, she'd like to see something other than his usual stony façade. 

Aoshi's face held the same expression as always. He looked as calm and collected as he ever did. However, as they say, appearances can be quite deceiving. On the inside, he was dying. His Misao was thinking about other men. He'd taken for granted that she would always love him. What if she fell in love with that kid and left? Would he be able to hide his devastation from the others? What would he do without Misao?

Okina watched with interest as the two ate silently. Every one had been hoping that Misao's birthday would bring pleasant changes to the Aoiya, but it didn't look that way. Aoshi was being his usual brooding self and was as oblivious as ever to Misao's feelings and the poor girl herself…She must've been furious at Aoshi. Here it was, her eighteenth birthday -the most special day in her young life- and he acted as if nothing were different, as if it were the same as every other day. Then Jishin showing up out of the blue after so many years, wishing to claim the lovesick girl as his own…Misao's thoughts must've been a messy jumble.

The old man sighed. Now was not the time to worry about such things. He would have to try and have a good time, for Misao's sake. Later -once they were back home- he could help Misao and (hopefully) Aoshi sort things out.

The birthday girl picked at her food. She did indeed have a lot on her mind. She was deeply hurt by the fact that Aoshi had neither given her any class of a gift nor told Jishin to back off. If only he had told her something earlier, she would have been able to tell her friend "no, she wasn't interested." But he had said nothing. Not "I love you," not "I care about you," not even "happy birthday." Her grip tightened around one of her chopsticks, causing it to snap in half. He acted as if today were nothing special. _How dare he?_


	3. End to a Very Bad Day

Later, back at the Aoiya…

The second they returned home, Aoshi had disappeared into his private study. He was in a foul mood and had no desire to see any one. The day had not gone according to plans. No, it had not gone right at all.

The day played out in his head as he sat hunched over his desk. It had begun okay…he got up, went to the shrine to meditate, same as always. Misao woke up about an hour later and came clamoring down the stairs. Same as always. She's said good morning and it was all downhill from there. He hadn't been able to tell her happy birthday or even good morning. For whatever reason, he became quite tongue tied when it concerned Misao.

She had given him a frosty look at his lack of greeting. _This, _he had thought, _does not bode well…_Then she wanted to get herself drunk. Honestly, did she believe that sort of behavior was acceptable? It didn't matter if it was her birthday, her wedding day, a million years from then; he never ever wanted to see her drunk.

After that, or rather, during that, the boy had shown up. Jishin, that was his name. He'd come breezing in and done the things Aoshi couldn't. He'd given her a gift, told her she was beautiful and he loved her, all as if it was nothing. Then the worst part -Misao didn't reject him. He had been expecting a "Sorry, Kid, but I love Aoshi-sama." But -what was it she'd said? Oh, that's right…"I'll have to get back to you on that one."

He'd had plans. Plans that didn't involve the rest of the Oniwabanshu, just Misao and himself. He wanted to tell her -among other things- he was sorry for all the grief he put her through two years beforehand. And he did have a present for her, but -he sighed- it was too late for that. It didn't matter any more.

He withdrew a small, neatly wrapped gift from his pocket and studied it. She would have loved the contents of that box and he knew it. However, it was too late and it was his own stupid fault. He didn't need it anymore. He yanked one of the desk drawers open and carefully stashed the present inside. It would have to wait until another day…

How had things turned out so badly? What had gone wrong? _Everything is my fault. She wanted to have a nice birthday and I ruined it_. He ran a hand through his dark hair, pushing it from his icy blue eyes. _I'm sure she'll be very happy with that handsome -not to mention rich- kid. Unlike me, he was perfectly capable of telling her he loved her and she needs to hear that. I blew it. Big time_.

"Um, Aoshi-sama?" Misao's voice broke his thoughts and he looked up.

She looked so upset! _I'm sorry, Misao_…But his voice betrayed his thoughts. "What is it?"

"About before…" She closed the door and stood before it, unsure if she should venture any farther into the room.

"What about it? There's nothing to discuss."

"I don't love him." Her voice sounded guarded, as if she was wary of what his response would be.

He stared at her, knowing if he said nothing she would continue of her own accord. He'd had enough discussions, debates and arguments with the young woman to know this for a fact. She would go on.

But, she let him down. She just stared evenly back at him, her cerulean eyes never leaving his face. She had not said anything. It was up to him to continue the conversation. After a long pause, he finally spoke the first thing that came to mind. "It is of no concern to me whom you do or do not love, Misao."

A frown crossed her face. "You don't care? You don't care??" Her voice rose, growing shrill with anger, "You should care!" She exclaimed, "I thought maybe now you'd understand that what I feel for you is not just childish fantasy! I thought you cared about me!" She was quivering with rage, her face turning purple, "I was wrong!" She jerked the door back open, "You don't care about any one or anything but yourself. I hate you, Aoshi!"

He was half way out of his seat when the door slammed behind her. Trembling, he sank back into the chair. Had he heard right? Had she called him Aoshi without the "-sama" ? It took a moment for what had just happened to filter through his brain. She was angry. 

Very angry.

Misao went thumping up the stairs, tears streaming down her face. She flopped down on her bed, her face buried in her pillow. He didn't care. _He didn't care! _Noisy sobs escaped her; her tears soaked the feather pillow.

She rolled over on her back, trying to catch her breath. Her arms were wrapped around the pillow, holding it tightly to her chest. Some birthday that had been. The worst yet, even more so then all the times he'd been gone and she'd waited by the door, hoping that -through some small miracle- he would come strolling up and tell her happy birthday.

He didn't love her. She was a fool to think he would. She would always be nothing more to him than a little sister. She was forever a child in his eyes. She hadn't expected a proposal or anything, but something would have been nice; something that showed he cared about her.

__

Aoshi-sama, I love you. When are you going to realize it? She stared at the ceiling, tears trickling down her cheeks. _I understand you. I'm the only one who does. I don't want you to be Aoshi-sama forever. I want you to be Aoshi-chan…_

__

Everything I've done for the past eighteen years has been for you. I want you to be proud of me. I want to be some one you would be glad to introduce to people. "This is Misao…my wife. She's a wonderful woman and she learned everything she knows from me…I'm very proud of her." Why can't you love me? What have I done wrong?

Aoshi, meanwhile, was in his own private hell. Misao never called him plain Aoshi. But then, he'd never done anything so cruel as that before. She'd run off and he hadn't chased after her. He wanted to, but he'd been frozen in the spot, his mind reeling from the blow she'd dealt.

__

I hate you, Aoshi! I hate you…He rested his head on his hands, the oak desktop cool beneath his fingertips. _I hate you…_Her voice echoed through his mind, rattling around in there, cruel, angry and wounded. That had been brutal, hearing her say she hated him. He had never thought she was capable of saying such words. _I hate you…_

Oh, the agony! The suffering he was to undergo. This would not just blow over, yet he wasn't quite sure how to straighten it out. The former leader of the Oniwabanshu understood many things; unfortunately, the mind of a woman was not one of them. He still wasn't even sure what exactly Misao was so upset about.

This was all too much for him. Watching Misao for the past two years, he'd begun to feel more for her than he once had. A week before, while wandering aimlessly through the market, his eyes had come to rest on the perfect birthday gift for his charming little weasel.

The vendor had been adamant in selling it to him, saying it was the perfect gift to give his sweetheart. Aoshi had scoffed at the notion of love at first, then he got to thinking. He'd been seeing Misao in a different light since the whole situation with Shishio two years prior. Was what he felt for her love? Yes, he decided right then, he did love her. Perhaps not in the way she loved him -not yet at least- but it was a start.

So he'd purchased the item. The vendor had wrapped it in tissue paper, placing it gently in a box. It was packaged in brown paper, tied with an azure silk ribbon. This gift was a treasure to him and he knew Misao would be thrilled to receive it. He had been excited as he anticipated her reaction to receiving it -although his excitement was not something he let show- and it had been hard for him to contain his smile over the past week.

Now the carefully chosen gift sat useless in a drawer.

Wearily, he rose to his feet. He would nurse his wounded pride the following morning. He was too tired then to deal with the situation. He shuffled heavily out of the room, locking the door behind him. He knew in his heart that this would only get worse before it got better.

Much worse.


	4. And the Beginning of Another

Aoshi slept late the next morning. He was usually up at the crack of dawn, but he had tossed and turned the entire night, thoughts of Misao, their arguing, and Jishin flooding his stream of consciousness. He had a headache when he awoke from a light, fitful sleep.

Autumn sunlight streamed through the window. Aoshi pulled the covers up over his head. Was it possible to have a hangover if you hadn't even been drunk? Intoxication would have been better than this. At least then he would have an excuse for his stupidity.

There would be no meditating that morning; his thoughts were in turmoil and his mind was nowhere near clear enough to concentrate on anything. He lay there for a moment longer, trying to sort out his thoughts. He went over the facts in his head. Misao was eighteen. By every one's standards, she was no longer a child. Jishin, son of one of Kyoto's wealthiest men, had confessed to loving her. Jishin had a desire to -as he had put it- "court her." Misao had not said no. They had fought. She now hated him.

****

Ugh.

Twelve hours after it had happened, the situation did not seem any better.

What made that kid so special to Misao that she would even consider pursuing him? Was it because he was rich? Misao had always been rather ambitious and the Aoiya's income was not exactly that of a millionaire. Was it because he was handsome? Did she prefer Jishin's brown hair over Aoshi's dark tresses? Would she rather spend evenings gazing into those emerald eyes rather than his own ice blue ones? He had always thought Misao liked his eyes. They were the only part of him that ever showed the slightest emotion. Was it because Jishin could say the things that he could not? She was the kind of girl that needed to be told -and told often- that she was loved. She thrived on praise.

__

What was it? What was it? That question bombarded the man as he lay there, huddled under the blankets. He was quite miserable and his pride had been sufficiently damaged. She'd always been his little Misao, his weasel girl, and he her Aoshi-sama. But she didn't like him any more. She wanted that other man -that scrawny runt.

Then a thought crossed his mind. Maybe Misao didn't want an old, washed out ninja. He was ten years older than she was. Maybe she wanted a man closer to her own age. A man like Jishin.

Sighing, he sat up. He had to go downstairs and act as if it was just like any other day, or they would all know something was wrong. It was a terrible day. And things would keep on getting worse until he and Misao resolved their differences.

Stepping silently down the stairs, Aoshi was aware of voices in the front hall. Misao, giggling slightly, and Jishin, speaking to her, his voice smooth with experience. He peered around the corner.

Jishin was handing a box of chocolate to Misao. Trying to bribe her with Western novelties, was he? Did he seriously think he could win her over with candy? Although…Aoshi watched as she accepted the box and opened it, peering inside. "Ooo…" He heard her squeal breathlessly, "I've never had a whole box of chocolates to myself!"

He felt his heart sinking within his chest. This was not looking well. Not well at all.

"Well, you deserve it." He smiled brazenly, his hand brushing against hers. Jishin was pleased with how well things were going. He had wondered more than a few times if she was infatuated with the icy man she often wandered around with, but she seemed very pleased by the attention he was bestowing upon her. "Now, I told you yesterday that I intended to begin courting you. So I was wondering, would you care to join me for dinner this evening? My father has a cook from France and you'll be able to sample the best the West has to offer."

Misao's heart was pounding wildly. A dinner invitation?! And Western food, no less. What could she say? For a fleeting moment, this thought crossed her mind: _Aoshi-sama certainly won't approve._ Then she remembered how angry she was at him. He'd hurt her feelings by ignoring her and she wasn't going to give the satisfaction of letting him know it. 

Then a wicked notion crossed her mind, a thought that was as devious as they come. If he really cared about her -and she suspected he did- he would become insanely jealous if it looked like she was having a good time with Jishin. 

Putting on her cutest smile, she looked up at her old friend. "Of course I'd love to have dinner with you."

Aoshi froze when he heard that. Misao might as well have ripped out his heart and stomped on it right there. He felt about as bad as is she had. She didn't seem affected at all by the huge fight from the night before. Maybe she really did hate him. He had thought they would both be miserable and they would quickly work things out -as they often did after their frequent arguments- but it didn't look that way. She wasn't upset at all.

His anger and jealousy were quickly consuming him. He hadn't allowed so many emotions to enter his brain at one time since Kenshin had fought him the first time. However, this was completely different. He had been beyond angry after that. He was now overcome with grief.

He stormed past Misao and Jishin on his way out of the Aoiya. He was so confused; he didn't notice Misao staring after him. He thought that perhaps the cool autumn air would help him clear his thoughts and he would be able to make better sense of things.

__

Aoshi-sama…Misao's gaze followed her beloved former-leader as he swept out the door. Was he that jealous already? He hadn't even looked at her on his way by. That was unusual. While he wouldn't have normally said anything, he would have at least nodded a greeting. She was a little perturbed by this. She thought it would take longer for him to be affected by this. _Aoshi-sama, I'm sorry…._A sly smile crossed her face, _But this is the only way…_

Later that evening, Misao could be found pacing the front room nervously. She was adorned in her best kimono and obi, her hair down long and wavy. A necklace of her late mother's -a small sapphire set in a silver hummingbird charm- dangled around her neck. Every now and then, she would stop moving and pull her socks up. She was anxious and fidgety, unsure how the evening would play out.

"Why are you doing this, Misao?" Okina asked her. He'd been watching her walk back and forth for nearly half an hour and he wondered just why she was tormenting herself so.

"Why shouldn't I, Gramps? What is there to stop me?" Her voice was an octave higher than usual, a sure sign that she was stressed over the situation.

"You love Aoshi." He reminded her gently.

She turned her back to him, her head held high. "I do not love Aoshi-sama. I could care less about him." She stated firmly, her arms folded across her chest. "He's selfish and uncaring and thoughtless."

Poor girl…Her words betrayed her unconcerned attitude. Old Okina could easily detect how hurt she was. The very fact that she still referred to him as "sama" contradicted her saying she didn't care about him at all. She was so deeply in love with him…They would both be hurt if they didn't stop acting so immature.

Jishin returned for Misao precisely at six-thirty that evening. He came in his father's carriage, drawn by a black horse. The girl had herself rather worked up at that point. She was very nervous and troubled over the whole thing. 

When he knocked on the door, she nearly chickened out. "Tell him I'm not here!" She hissed to Okina, "Tell him I'm sick. Something, anything! I don't think I can do this!"

"You said you would go. It would be rude to back out now. You'll just have to deal with him…Unless you're afraid." He added casually.

"I'm afraid of no man!" She declared. Then she marched over to the door and opened it to find Jishin there holding a bunch of daisies.

Okina smiled. That was more like the Misao he was used to. He understood what she was doing. She subscribed to the belief that with a little revenge, anything could pass. He just hoped Aoshi wouldn't crack under the pressure.

Her heart was thudding so loud within her chest she was afraid Jishin would hear it. Her palms were sweaty and her mouth dry. This was the first time she'd even looked at another man in her life and she was terrified. 

They were alone together in that little carriage. The sun had already set and it was shadowy inside the coach. What was that? Had he touched her knee or was she imagining things? She edged over to the side of the carriage, as far away from him as possible. _This is all wrong!_ She felt like she was doing something terrible, as if she was betraying her Aoshi-sama. He would be so upset with her. Then she relaxed slightly. _You have no reason to care what he thinks. _She reminded herself sternly. _He messed things up himself this time. I deserve better than what he gives me._

But you love him! Her brain screamed. _You love him…You always have. _Her eyes welled with tears and she was glad it was so dark in the carriage. _What are you doing, Misao? Why torment yourself like this? Tell him how much you love him and be serious about it…Maybe…Maybe then…_

She shook her head, wiping her eyes. _It's too late for that! _She looked back over at Jishin, peering at him through the shadows. "What are we having for dinner, Ji-chan?"

"Pâté." 

Misao blinked. _What the hell was pâté? _"Um, what's that?"

He sighed. She was so naïve and uncultured. "It's goose liver."

"Goose liver." She repeated. That sounded so gross. She wrinkled up her nose. "…What else?"

"Escargot. And so you don't need to ask, that's snails. Cornish Game Hen -you'll probably like that- and chocolate mousse for dessert."

She nodded, processing this information. Cornish Game Hen…that meant chicken. That would be safe. And chocolate mousse sounded intriguing. She'd never had much Western food before. If he wanted to serve her all kinds of weird goop, she was game.

Meanwhile, Aoshi was wandering aimlessly down the street. Being outside had certainly not helped clear his mind. He still had no clue how to settle the issue with Misao and that was not good. The longer this went on, the more hurt they would both be in the end. He knew this. He didn't like this thought. The more he thought about it, the more upset he became. 

__

Open your eyes, Aoshi…Misao's not the same kid she was two years ago. She's not even a kid any more. How have I been so blind? How could I have spent the last eighteen years with her and hardly know a thing about her? What kind of man am I? A sinking feeling filled the pit of his stomach. _Oh Misao…I'm such an idiot! I'm going to lose you because I was too foolish to realize all of this a long time ago._

For the first time in his life, he was afraid.

Each lost in their own thoughts, neither realized that they had passed the other. Had Aoshi been more aware of his surroundings, he would have noticed the carriage bearing the Kanemochi family crest as it rumbled past him. And if Misao were still gazing out the small window, she might have noticed the shadowy figure of her beloved Aoshi-sama on the street. Yet they passed, undetected, like ships in the night.


	5. How Do You Heal a Heart?

Misao returned late that evening. She had had a surprisingly good time with Jishin and only felt slightly guilty at that point. Her old playmate was a man who knew how to treat women surprisingly well. He had dinner served by candlelight, given her a glass of chardonnay, while a man sat in the corner, dressed in a tuxedo, and played soft music on a violin. Unlike Aoshi, he knew how to be romantic. 

Jishin grinned to himself as the carriage bounced along back to his father's house. The evening had gone far better than he had hoped for. He had dazzled Misao; swept her off her feet. She'd even allowed him to kiss her on the cheek as he saw her to the door and she had agreed to see him again the following day. He leaned back against the plush seat, his hands behind his head. She would be his by the end of the week. She was so innocent. All he had to do was act kind and she got all flustered and embarrassed. What would she do when he had her alone? He laughed in anticipation.

__

Hold your horses, Boy. He told himself,_ She's not yours yet. You still have to make her forget about the Icicle…She went on and on about him all night. _It had been "Aoshi-sama might…" or "I don't think Aoshi-sama…" or his favorite: "Did I tell you about the time Aoshi-sama…?" She was obsessed with him. He had to figure out how he could make her forget that damn ninja. _This will take all of my wit…_

__

Where is she? Why isn't she home yet? Aoshi was pacing the length of his study. It was getting late and he'd sworn to himself that he would not go to bed until he knew Misao was home safe and sound. He didn't trust Jishin. There was something about that boy that made him wonder…_What does he want with Misao? She has no money, no family, nothing to offer. She's loud, she's crude and she can be very insensitive. Why is she so special to him? She's naïve. She knew nothing of…Surely he couldn't want…? _

…Could he?

This troubling thought caused the man to pace harder. He would not allow Misao to be taken advantage of. But how could he express his concerns to her when she wasn't even speaking to him? He sighed. This was already such a complicated situation and it was getting more and more complicated as time went by.

Misao walked through the door in a daze, her hand raised to her cheek where Jishin had kissed her. She was in a drunken stupor -partly from the wine he had given her, partly from the whole dreamy atmosphere of the evening- and rather unaware of her surroundings.

"Did you have a good time?" Aoshi's voice -its usual deadpan- broke through her cloudy thoughts. He was struggling to control his jealousy and his heart skipped a beat at the sight of Misao with her hair down long. He had never seen it undone before; she always kept it bound in the braid.

  
She suddenly seemed to wake up, the fog lifting from her mind. She was still angry with him and wanted to make sure he knew it. "Not that it's any of your business, but I had a very good time." She said frigidly, her tone arrogant and aloof. He needed to suffer a while longer and, anyway, she did have fun with Jishin.

"Misao…" His mind was racing. Tell her he was sorry? Not on his life. The words were on the tip of his tongue, but she had readily abandoned him for that other man. He was hurt. His confidence was wounded, his heart broken. However, he still had his pride. No eighteen-year-old girl would make him come crawling.

She looked at him expectantly, her arms still folded across her chest. What did he want now? "What?" She asked sharply.

"…" He stared back at her, taking in the sight of her looking so angry. "Never mind. Go to bed. You were out late."

Her mouth fell open. That was not what she had been expecting from him. "I'm not a child, Aoshi! I'll go to bed when I damn well please. Oh, and just so you know, I'm going out with him again tomorrow." Then she turned on her heal and marched from the room.

Aoshi took a shaky step back. Again she had addressed him without the "-sama" prefix. And what did she mean _she was going out with him again?! How could she? How could she??_ He sank down to the floor, leaning against the doorframe. This was terrible. She had never before treated him so cruelly. They thought he was cold and distant? Misao when she was angry could freeze hell.

Misao, meanwhile, had stormed up the steps and was flinging things around her room as she prepared for bed. Articles of clothing, sandals, blankets…things flew here and there as she threw them. She was so pissed off she couldn't control herself.

Finally her rage seemed to diminish. She settled herself on the bed and peered out the window at the moon. _I'm not going to cry…I'm not going to cry…_She began twining her hair into a braid so it wouldn't get tangled while she slept. _I come back from a date with another man and all Aoshi-sama says to me is "go to bed." _Her heart ached. _Why isn't he angry? Why doesn't he care? Can it be that he really doesn't care for me like I thought he did?_

The moon cast silver light into the room where it made puddle on the bed around her. Moonlight was so cold, like Aoshi-sama's icy eyes. She wanted to melt his frozen heart, with her smiles, her love, her tears…Whatever it took. She wanted to take him in her arms and tell him everything would be okay. She loved him. She would be there for him, no matter what.

And he didn't seem to understand.

Why was love so painful? He put her through so much grief. He hurt her and she wasn't even sure he was aware he was doing it. _I should tell him all of these things…_She bit her lip, contemplating what she would do. She was angry at him over his lack of enthusiasm about her birthday, hurt that he didn't forbid her from seeing Jishin, and overall confused about the whole thing.

"What's on your mind, Aoshi-sama? What are you thinking about all of this? I wish you would talk to me…" She sighed, falling back from the window. A shiver ran down her spine. There was a chill on the air and that made her think of the approaching winter. Cold weather always reminded her more of her beloved; frost on the windows was like the blue ice of his eyes.

Her eyes misted with tears and, before she realized it, she was crying. All of her life she had loved him. All of her life, she had waited for him to love her back. And it didn't seem like it would happen. Even now, when she was trying her hardest to make him jealous, it didn't seem like he had any concerns one way or another.

"Oh, Aoshi-sama…" Her cerulean gaze drifted out the window to the night once more, "Aoshi-sama…Ai shiteru…" A few more tears trickled down her cheeks, "But I don't think that you understand."

Down the hall and on the right, Aoshi was seated in a meditative fashion on the floor of his room. Bathed in silver moonlight, he pondered over the situation for the millionth time. Something was telling him that Misao wasn't as happy about the evening's events as she let on. 

His thoughts drifted back to the un-given, unopened birthday gift. _Maybe I should give it to her anyway…It may be a day late, but better late than never. It could help smooth things over…Or make things worse. _Inwardly, he groaned. That small box had the power to make everything right -if presented to her at the right time- but he didn't have the courage to give it to her. _Why am I such a coward??_

He rested his head in his hands. This was too much for his poor hardened heart to handle. He'd tried to turn her away, tried to block out his feelings, and it simply did not work. Some warrior he was, brought to his knees by a girl ten years his junior.

__

Just like Battôsai.

He had once scoffed at Kenshin Himura's love for Kaoru Kamiya; swore he would never allow himself to be ruled by emotions for a woman. Himura had gotten soft due to what he felt for the tanuki and Aoshi had never wanted to be like that. Yet there he was, fretting over Misao, trying to figure out just how to right all his wrongs, as if he was no more than a child again. 

He fully understood everything Himura had gone through, all the debating and wondering if what he thought he wanted was what he truly wanted. But the difference between him and the former hitokiri was that Himura had gotten married while he continued to leave Misao hanging. Himura had been able to open his heart to the tanuki. Aoshi's heart was still frozen and ready to shatter at the weasel's slightest touch.

How does one thaw a frozen heart? That was the next question he needed to find an answer to. And he knew it would not be an easy answer to find. It would require much opening of his soul and whom could he open it to? Misao was intensely angry. He didn't think she'd listen to a word he had to say. She got so passionate about these sorts of things. He was in deep.

There was one thing he was sure he had to do: make certain Jishin didn't try anything funny with his Misao. If that spoiled rich boy made her cry -if he hurt her the slightest bit- there would be hell to pay. Both of his kodachis had found a home mounted on the wall, but they were still sharp and deadly after two years of rest. He would have Jishin's head if he harmed Misao in any way.

This grim decision finalized, he figured it was as good a time as any to go to bed. Tomorrow would be a busy day of spying and espionage and he wanted to be well rested, his mind as clear as possible. It would take all of his skills to pull this off. _You wait, Misao. I'd follow you to the ends of the earth…_

***

Note: This next chapter is for Missy Misao, who requested that I "make sure to have Jishin and Misao go on a little date, and Aoshi follow around and stuff." I was planning some more date chapters, going into finer detail of what they did together, but it hadn't occurred to me to make Aoshi stalk them. This could get interesting, considering the way I've written Aoshi's train of thought and how suspicious he is of Jishin…Heh heh…*rubs hands together in anticipation*

Ahem…Anyway, thanks to all who have been so kind in their reviews. I do believe this is one of my most reviewed fics, considering how short it still is. 

Until nest chap…^^v

-SC


	6. And the Plot Thickens

WOOT! I hit 30 reviews before posting this chap!!! YAY!!! I never got so many reviews for a story so short…Well, except "She's My Kind of Rain." That one still gets reviews…

Any who, on to the chap…

***

Jishin arrived at the Aoiya around ten o'clock the following morning. He, having noticed that Misao tended to only wear traditional clothes, was wearing his most attractive kimono and hakama. His hair was meticulously combed and he looked neat and handsome. His gift of the day was neither flowers nor chocolates, but rather an emerald hair pin that had belong to his mother. It would look lovely in Misao's dark, glossy hair, especially the way all those loose curls rippled down her back…He tingled with pleasure just thinking about her.

Seeing as today's date would be a more casual one, Misao did not dress up as much. She wore her usual blue and violet, her hair bound back in the braid once again. Her haori hung loosely off her shoulders -she was such a slender, petite girl. He had told her they would be headed down to the market -he had an errand to run for his father- then to the park to see the trees with their changing leaves, followed by dinner at a place she had never heard of. It was exciting to be doing these things with some one else. She went out a lot, but was always alone. 

Aoshi looked to be the height of suspicion as he trailed the two young adults when they set off from the Aoiya. Dressed in black pants and a black shirt, he certainly did not blend into a crowd very easily. However, he was skilled in the art of espionage and managed to slink through the shadows virtually undetected.

Hidden away around the corner, he watched as Jishin handed Misao a thin, flat package. She opened it carefully, peeling back the brown paper it was wrapped in. She lifted the lid and stared into the box. _What was it?? _She was being awfully quiet.

"Do you like it?" He heard Jishin ask.

As she lifted the pin from the box, light hit the facets and the emerald sparkled, casting green shadows across her face. Aoshi laughed to himself. Jishin knew nothing about his dear weasel. What would she do with an emerald? Her favorite color was blue. 

"I…um…It's very pretty, Ji-chan." She finally managed.

"It was my mother's."

"It's an heirloom? I can't accept this then." He had given her the perfect opportunity to return it. It didn't suit her and she didn't like it. An emerald indeed. She preferred things in blue.

"I insist. It is always passed down to the women the men of my family marry." He said calmly. The way he talked about his emotions, you'd think he was discussing the weather.

Misao's voice turned slightly chilly. "I never agreed to marry you, Jishin." 

Aoshi silently thanked the gods. She had dropped the "chan" from his name and she sounded put off. He was glad Jishin was just assuming things. The more he assumed, the more annoyed Misao would get. The more annoyed she got, the more likely she would be to tell him off. Then she would be back to her usual self and he would have his chance to make amends with her. This day could turn out better than he dared to hope for.

"Misao-chan, I love you. I can offer you things you otherwise wouldn't have. Why wouldn't you marry me?" Jishin's voice was oozing charm. 

She regarded him suspiciously. What was he getting at? That Aoshi-sama and the others weren't good enough for her? That the Aoiya was a dump? She was comfortable at the Aoiya with her friends and couldn't imagine being anywhere else. "I can think of a few reasons…" She muttered under her breath.

"Sumimasen? Did you say something, Misao-chan?"

"Oh," She looked up, smiling brightly while at the same time changing the subject, "I was just thinking to myself that I can think of a few places I'd like to go today." She slid the box into her pocket before he would have time to insist she put the pin in her hair. Then she grabbed his hand. "C'mon, let's go!"

Aoshi could barley contain his excitement as he trailed after them. So Misao _wasn't_ serious about Jishin. She didn't like him. _Why then…? _A thought occurred to him: She was trying to make him jealous. 

And it was working.

He would have to congratulate her later. His admiration for her only grew with this realization. It took a lot to ruffle his feathers. What a girl -no, what a _woman_ she was. She was the only person who could make him lose his cool. Never before had any one upset him so much. She had some talent to be able to do that.

Misao and Jishin wandered into the market. It was a crisp November day and there were crowds of people here and there. Woman were yelling after their children while at the same time trying to make purchases, men were trying to strike a bargain with the merchants and the kids were just all over the place, squealing with laughter. Misao relaxed a little. She felt at home in the market. These were the people she belonged with, not stuffy rich ones like Jishin.

"Misao-chan! Misao-chan!" A couple of small, raggedy children ran up to her, "You gonna play wif us?"

She crouched down to be level with them. "Oh, not today, Kaiya-chan. I'm here with Ji-chan."

"Awww…But Misao-chan!" The little boy pouted.

"Gomen nasai, Haru-kun." She patted the boy on the head, "But I'm a big girl now. I have big girl things to do."

"All right." They both hugged her, then ran off to their mother.

Rising to her feet, she noticed the disgusted look on Jishin's face. She frowned at him. "Not every one can be as rich as you, Jishin."

He paled slightly, realize she had noticed and understood his expression. Then he recovered his composure. "I didn't say anything, Misao-chan. I was simply thinking that it was a shame that they left dirty finger prints all over your haori."

"They're just children. You can't expect them to keep clean." She said calmly, brushing away a dusty handprint, "When I get married, I want to have children; a boy and a girl." She could picture them both; the boy looking just like Aoshi-sama, right down to those piercing blue eyes; the girl, a picture of beauty like herself. They would be wonderful children.

Aoshi was hiding behind a noodle cart, listening to his little itachi speak. He was so proud of her! She sounded so mature. When had she become so grown-up? She had become a woman before his eyes and he hadn't even noticed. He felt rather guilty about this. No wonder she was so angry. No wonder she was trying to spite him. And no wonder things had gone so badly on her birthday…

He felt his heart twisting within his chest. _Poor Misao…_He had driven her to going out with this…this…Aoshi was so angry he couldn't come up with a good insult. Poor Misao; it was all his fault. These past few days had been a real eye-opener for the ice man. _Things need to change. Not only things within me, but things between me and Misao. I can't deny it any longer. I-_

Wait, they were moving again. He quickly gathered his thoughts and darted behind another stand, following undetected behind his itachi and the skunk she called her friend. He was seeing things in Jishin that he didn't like, but he would have to wait and see what happened later in the day.

"Ji-chan?" Misao looked over her shoulder. She had a creepy feeling that she was being watched.

"Yes?" He looked back at her. She had stopped walking and was looking cautiously around her.

"Do you get the idea we're being followed?"

"Don't be silly." He blinked his jade eyes, a smile spread across his face, "Who would follow us?"

__

Who indeed. She made one last survey of the area, then shrugged. _Maybe I'm just imagining things. Maybe I'm just so confused about Aoshi-sama…There's no way that arrogant jerk would follow us around all day. I must be dreaming. But just in case…_ She took Jishin's hand in her own as they wandered around the stalls.

Oh, clever girl! They had trained her well for her to realize he was there_. I'll have to be more careful. The last thing I need is her finding me here…_Aoshi dropped back into the shadows, putting a little more distance between himself and the couple.

"Now, you wait here a moment, Misao-chan." Jishin stopped outside a small, shady looking building. "I need to go inside and take care of some business for my father. It would be far too boring for you. Why don't you look at some more of the things for sale while I'm busy?"

"Okay." _Wow, he cares about me. He doesn't want me to be bored while he's talking about his father's business…What a nice guy Ji-chan is…Unlike some people I know… _"Don't be gone too long."

"I won't. You pick out something you like and I'll buy it for you as a way to apologize for making you wait."

"Oh, thank you, Ji-chan." She smiled up at him.

"Anything for you." He took her hand in his and kissed the back of it, then turned and disappeared into the building, leaving her standing there, stunned.

Aoshi quivered with rage. That little punk! How dare he kiss her? His eyes narrowed. Misao was headed off in one direction while Jishin entered the domicile. Although he would have rather followed the itachi, enjoying her excitement at all the Western trinkets the merchants had to offer, but he felt obligated to remain under the window and listen to what Jishin's business entailed.

"So, Kanemochi, do you have my money?" He heard a rough voice demanding.

Then came the debonair voice of Jishin, slightly less confident sounding than usual. "Ano…I…Um, not yet, Kanawashi. Be patient. I told you once, my father is sick of paying my debts. He won't give me any more money. But I have a good way to compensate you."

"Oh?" 

This was intriguing. Aoshi peered through the window. Jishin was standing before a rather imposing looking man. The other fellow, Kanawashi, was smoking a cigarette, a whore clinging to his arm. Compared to him, Jishin looked like a pathetic child. The kid was quaking in his boots. 

"There's this girl…She and I are old friends."

"Oh, an heiress?"

"No. She's an orphan. But the people who took care of her own a restaurant. I plan on marrying her very soon, if all goes well. She is so ignorant and knows nothing of the business world. I'm sure I could con her into giving me the deed to the Aoiya."

"This is an interesting proposal indeed, Kanemochi." Kanawashi laughed wickedly, "I like the way you think."

"I'm not proud of this." Jishin's voice hardened, "I love her and don't wish to hurt her in any way. But until my old man dies, there's nothing I can do but this. I see no other way to pay you back. When I'm in charge of the business and I control the money, I'll buy the place back from you. She'll never need to know."

"Well," The mob boss took a drag on his cigarette, "You've never let me down before, Kanemochi. I'll have to trust you on this one. You have a month to produce the deed."

Aoshi had to work hard to control his anger. Did Jishin seriously think Misao was so stupid? Why would she allow him to take the Aoiya when Okina and himself were still there to run the place? She was so much smarter than that. But then…She was naïve. She had little experience in the business world. While she was a skilled thief, she knew nothing of the effort and planning put into running the Aoiya. He had to warn her!

Misao was at a booth where a man was peddling Western scarves. He was doing a brisk business -due to the cooling weather- and the young ninja was debating over whether or not she wanted one.

"Misao! Misao!"

She looked up. "Aoshi-sama?" _What is he-? _Her eyes widened, "You _were_ following us! You're such a jerk!"

"No, Misao, you don't understand-" He began. It hadn't occurred to him that she wouldn't want to listen to what he had to say.

"Go away!"

"Will you just listen to me?" He grabbed her by the collar, "It's-"

"Unhand me!" She pushed him back, the palm of her hand connecting with his cheek with a resounding "smack."

He was stunned. Had she just hit him? He couldn't move. He couldn't speak. All he could do was stand there, his mouth opened slightly, thinking: _she just hit me_.

"Get away from me! Leave me alone!" She screamed, tears running down her face, "I don't need you to look after me any more. Why is it that now that I'm happy without you, you won't leave me alone?"

__

…Now that I'm happy…The words echoed through his mind. He felt sick. She was happy without him? No. He wouldn't believe it. No. She didn't mean that. No! No no no no!! She could not mean that! She couldn't, she couldn't, she couldn't! "Misao, I-"

"Just go away! I never want to see you again! Never! Do you hear me?!" 

"M-Misao…" His heart was pounding. _She's just angry, _he reasoned with himself, _she doesn't mean any of this. She doesn't…Yes, she does. She means everything. I waited too long and now she's gone. I should have told her way back after Shishio…I'm such a damned fool…_

"Please…Just go away…" Her voice was very low, her head bowed, "I can't even be near you right now…"

He backed away from her. It didn't matter that people were staring at them. It didn't matter that the expression on his face must have been one of the utmost devastation. That was it. She'd done it. His frozen heart was in a million pieces. It had shattered at the slightest touch. It was done. Everything was over before it even had a chance to begin. He felt as if he had died.

Jishin found Misao standing there, clutching an indigo scarf in her hands. The expression on her face was one of bewilderment, as if she didn't know what to do with the piece of fabric in her grasp. "You all right, Misao-chan?"

"What? Oh, I'm fine." She turned to him, smiling, "Can we go to the park now?"

"Of course." He offered her his elbow and she linked her arm through his. "How much did that cost? I was supposed to buy you something, not you buy it for yourself."

"It's okay."

"No, really. How much did it cost?"

"Don't worry about it…" She argued as they wandered off together.

Aoshi didn't pay any attention to where he went, but somehow wound up back at the Aoiya. He was somewhat perplexed when he looked up and found himself standing in the entryway. _How did I get home? _He couldn't get Misao off his mind. Thoughts of her were driving him crazy. She hated him. She hated him with a passion. He couldn't stand it. _I am an idiot!_

He ambled into his study, the pain from the confrontation with Misao still heavy on his soul. It hurt. It hurt a lot more than he ever could have imagined. The worst part was that he knew she was making a mistake. Jishin, no matter how much he said he "loved" her, was still using her to pay off his gambling debts. If she ever found out what he was doing to her, she would take it all out on herself for being so ignorant to his true intentions.

Aoshi could not allow that to happen.

__

But, he slumped down in his desk chair, _there's nothing left I can do. She won't listen to me. She won't hear me out. She won't even look at me. She's in trouble and I can't help her. This is such a mess…_


	7. Solutions to the Problems

__

What am I going to do?

A week later, Aoshi was still no clearer on how to solve the problem at hand. He knew it wouldn't go away by itself, but he didn't know how to fix everything either. Apologizing was not something he was any good at.

His first thought was to threaten Jishin into leaving Misao alone. But -there was always a 'but'- if he did that, she would just see him as insanely jealous and that would cause more problems. No, this was not the way to go. 

He needed a plan that Misao wouldn't find out about. He needed a way to spoil all of Jishin's schemes. He needed something…

The most troubling part was the bit involving the crime lord, Kanawashi. Perhaps…Perhaps Aoshi could use what he had overheard to his advantage. The Aoiya belonged to Okina and would someday be passed to him. The only way the deed would ever come into Misao's possession was if both men died. This could prove beneficial in stopping Jishin.

__

Yes, the man decided grimly, _I'll go see Kanawashi…_

Misao had spent the past week trying to get her mind off Aoshi and having fun with Jishin. She knew that in order for anything to come out of her pathetic relationship with her former leader, he would have to change. A lot. 

Jishin, on the other hand, was incredible. He treated her like a queen, buying her things, taking her to dinner, the theater, anywhere he thought she might enjoy. She had thought for a long time that this was the kind of man she desired Aoshi to be. But she was quite sure, now that she had a taste of being pampered, if it was what she truly wanted.

She was uncomfortable around the servants in the Kanemochi house. They were constantly doing things for her she was used to and had been doing all her life. In addition, Kanari Kanemochi, Jishin's mother, was so refined that she made Misao nervous. The woman was delicate and graceful, a picture of perfection. The young ninja was never quite sure how to behave around her.

But…He was so attentive of her needs and wants. He treated her right and she had fun with him.

The day Aoshi decided to pay a visit to Kanawashi, the young woman was helping the other two women of the Aoiya with laundry. Okon and Omasu seemed to do all their gossiping around the laundry, and Misao listened to them prattle on and on about people in the neighborhood. 

Then, after a significant amount of time, they both turned simultaneously to look at her. She blinked. The way they were looking at her…This was not good. 

"Misao…" Omasu tucked her hair behind her ear, smiling sweetly at the younger girl, "WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON WITH YOU AND AOSHI-SAMA??"

"Eep." Misao backed away, her eyes wide as saucers. Omasu was scary when she did that…"Nothing is going on with me and Aoshi-sama." She sighed.

"That's the problem." Okon was a lot calmer about the whole situation. 

"Why is it a problem?"

"Because you and Aoshi-sama should be together. You love him, Misao."

Misao looked away, her face dark with anger. "I _did _love him. But he's been such a jerk lately; he ruined things on his own."

"You understand him better than any one. Surely you realize that he isn't as free to express what he feels as most people. You're going to destroy him if you don't forgive him."

"He ruined my birthday." She folded her arms, then realized her hands were dripping with soapy water and a dark wet spot was appearing on the front of her kimono. Sighing, she dropped her hands back to her sides. "I can't take much more of him; following me around, acting like everything I do should be his personal business. I'm still a child to him, Okon, and I won't forgive him until he realizes I'm grown up now."

"You're acting very childish."

"Aoshi-sama is too." Omasu agreed. 

"What are you talking about?" The girl glared at them both.

"No one wanted to tell you this, because we thought you'd work it out yourselves, but you're both being so petty and stubborn. Aoshi-sama is upset by all of this. He thinks we can't tell, but he's losing his touch. That deadpan mask of his is cracking. You're killing him, Misao."

"I'm what?" She turned slowly to face the woman, "I'm what?! He did this to himself, Okon! It's none of your business anyway! I'm having a good time with Jishin and I'm going to forget about Aoshi-sama." She dried her hands and stormed away.

Omasu smiled broadly. "She still loves him."

Aoshi, meanwhile, was standing before Kanawashi, a grim look on his face. "I'm from the Aoiya." He said pointedly.

"The Aoiya? You mean the place I'll be gaining as one of my possessions at the end of the month?" The repulsive man puffed away at a cigarette. 

"You had better tell Kanemochi that the deal is off." The former leader of the Oniwabanshu's voice didn't lose it's neutral tone. 

"Why would I do a thing like that? My main goal is to control most of Kyoto. All, if possible." A gravely laugh rumbled from his throat, "And what are you going to do about it, pretty boy?"

Aoshi pulled back his jacket, revealing the scabbard he kept his kodachi in. "You have no clue who I am. I feel sorry for you." He unsheathed the sword in one swift motion, pointing the tip at the man's rat-like face. "Death will come swiftly if you do not tell him to pay you back in some other way."

Kanawashi's beady eyes widened slightly and he took a step back. "You wouldn't dare kill me."

"Tell him you won't accept the deed and I won't."

"It's too late for that. We made a deal."

Aoshi frowned, inching closer to the man. "He cannot give you the Aoiya. Misao will never possess the deed. She doesn't even know where Nenji keeps it. And I'm next in line to own the place any way. You'd have to wait for me to die before Misao would take over. And I don't plan on dying any time soon."

"Suppose I have my men kill you?"

"You honestly think it would be so easy?" He pulled the second kodachi from the sheath, "I can handle two as easily as one."

Kanawashi's face, if possible, paled even more. _Who is this guy? _How could he possible have two kodachis in his possession? Even his own men didn't have real swords. They weren't permitted any more. The government banned them.

"Now what's your pleasure? Tell him no? Death? Or something else?" The ice man glowered down at him. Aoshi, when angry and bloodthirsty, could be quite intimidating.

Kanawashi sighed. He knew when he was beaten. "I'll tell him the deal's off. Now get out of here."

"I'll be back to make sure." He re-sheathed both swords and sauntered out of the room, leaving Kanawashi cowering in fright.

He strode down the street, thinking. Jishin wouldn't be happy when Kanawashi told him the deal was off. What would he do to Misao? He would try to use her to pay off his debt in some way, Aoshi was certain of this. He wouldn't let Misao suffer. He would rather die than see her unhappy.

Oops.

__

I've already made her very unhappy…His frown deepened. Oh, the pain in his heart. _Misao…I'm so sorry…I never meant to hurt you…I just can't tell you…You mean so much to me. _He sighed heavily, a sinking feeling washing over him. _And I'm incapable of saying it._

Misao wandered into Aoshi's study, looking at all the things that had reminded her of him every time he was gone. She had a lot on her mind and being around all of these familiar things was somewhat soothing. 

She settled herself in his desk chair, her knees drawn up to her chest. The chair smelled faintly like Aoshi. She rested her cheek against the cool leather. _What am I doing? I'm supposed to be forgetting about him. _She sighed wearily, _But I can't…I have loved him all of my life. How could I just give up on him?_

__

He hurt you. He hurt you; he made you cry. 

When you love some one, you forgive them. You keep on forgiving them, whether you want to or not. I don't want it to be like this. I want to be happy. I want to love Jishin. But I cannot…

She looked around the room, taking in the sight of all those things that reminded her of Aoshi. As a child, she had gone in there every time he left, feeling somewhat comforted by the closeness the room presented. The whole room simply gave off his aura. _Being in here, I feel as if you are near to me, Aoshi-sama…_

A sudden noise jolted her from her reverie. Footsteps could be heard out in the hall. Footsteps which stopped outside the room. _If he finds me in here…_There was nowhere to go. She had to hide somewhere.

As the door opened, she scuttled into a closet in the corner of the room. She sat tense on the floor, peering through a knot in the door to see what he would do. _Aoshi-sama…What's on your mind?_

Aoshi strode into the room and stopped to remount both kodachis on the wall. Misao watched silently as he unsheathed one, then the other. Where had he been with those? It had been two years since…He hadn't touched them at all in a long time.

Then he sank down into the leather desk chair. His back was to her, but she knew his face held a very serious expression. He was thinking hard about something.

Aoshi was indeed thinking very hard. Jishin would become desperate now that his plan was ruined. All men like him took drastic measures when it concerned debts. And there was no doubt in the ninja's mind that what ever Jishin would try would somehow involve Misao. He had to stay one step ahead of Jishin. The only problem was, he couldn't come up with a single thing that the skunk could think of.

__

I'll think about this later…He shoved thoughts of Jishin's gambling debts out of his mind. Weighing heavier on his conscience was the matter involving himself and his itachi. He had to clear things up with her. And he had to do it soon.

__

How do I fix what's wrong? I have to approach her at just the right time; she has to be in a good mood. And this…He pulled open the drawer in which her gift sat and removed the small box. Setting it in the middle of the desk, he studied the gift. _And this…I'll give it to her. That way, she'll know how I feel even if I still can't say it. _A hint of a smile crossed his face. She would be so pleased with him when he gave it to her.

__

What's in the box? She blinked her cerulean eyes. _Is that…It looks like a present. Who would he…? Oh no…He bought me a birthday gift and I screamed at him. Why didn't he give it to me though? He had all day…But then, this is Aoshi-sama…He's not very good at dealing with his feelings. Jishin showed up and did all the things Aoshi-sama never does for me…That must have been quite the blow to his self-esteem_. 

Noiselessly, she drew back from the door. She was stunned. All along, he had been planning on doing something nice for her and she had gotten angry. _I'm terrible! Poor Aoshi…How could I? And how do I make it up to him? I can't just say 'I'm sorry.' I was downright awful._

Moreover, there was still the matter of Jishin. He had seen her everyday for the past week and a half and was still insisting he loved her. She would need to put a stop to this before it got out of hand. _Tomorrow, he's coming again. I'll have to tell him the truth. It won't be pretty, but it needs to be done…_


	8. When I Come Back

Innocence8: Thanks for pointing out the spelling error (would you believe I spelled "spelling" wrong right there…*sighs*). And as for the "-chan" thing…*whips out dictionary* 

****

-chan: used after a person's name to express intimacy or affection. Also used as a diminutive for children and pets. (definition courtesy of Random House Japanese-English, English-Japanese Dictionary)

Now, onwards and forwards!

***

"Ohayo, Misao-chan!"

"Jishin, we need to talk."

The rich boy stopped at the tone of Misao's voice. She sounded very serious and her face matched her tone of voice. Her usually bright eyes had frosted over and a deep frown was painted across her face. "What do we need to talk about?"

"I really like you, Jishin." She paused, biting her lip as she tried to decide how to continue, "But I can't keep seeing you, especially since you say you love me."

"Why not?" He furrowed his brow as if trying to understand. This was not part of his plan.

"Because I love Aoshi-sama. I have always loved him." She explained slowly, "The only reason I agreed to go out with you is that I was mad at him. I wanted him to suffer and he did. It's time I stop fooling around. I didn't mean to take advantage of your feelings or anything…" She just sort of trailed off.

"You're kidding, right?" He blinked his wide emerald eyes, "You don't seriously mean any of that."

"I'm sorry…But I do." She looked at the ground, studied her sandals; anything to avoid looking him in the eye.

"But…Misao-chan…I love you!" He sputtered.

"I'm really sorry…This is all my fault. Please try to understand. I was angry and all I wanted was revenge. You came along declaring your love and it was a perfect way to get revenge. But I think I've hurt both of you enough. I'm really, really sorry."

"Misao-chan-"

"Please, don't call me that any more." She finally forced herself to look up at him. He looked stricken, as if he still didn't believe what she had said. "You've been so good to me…I didn't want to do this…"

"Then why…?"

"Because it felt nice, having some one do all those kind things for me. Aoshi-sama never does stuff like that. He's not very good at showing how he feels. I know now that he loves me, but it was nice to do things like that with you."

"You deserve better than that. I can give you everything he can't. I can take you away from the run-down inn and give you a wonderful life. He isn't worthy of a girl like you."

__

He did not just say that! Her eyes went wide. Saying Aoshi-sama didn't deserve her…He had some nerve! Her hands balled into fists at her side. "Aoshi-sama is the only man I want, whether he deserves me or not. He's brave and strong and twice the man you'll ever be, Jishin!"

A vein throbbed in Jishin's neck. He was angry. Very angry. This was not how things were supposed to go. He needed to get his hands on some money whatever way he could. His mind was racing as he tried to figure out a plan. If Aoshi loved her as she claimed he did, maybe he'd being willing to pay a ransom for her. She was small…He could subdue her…A few mental calculations flitted through his brain. He could take her hostage and make the deed his ransom demand. There was no way those washed out ninjas could have the money to pay off his debt. He'd have to make due with the deed.

"Well, um, I'm going to go home now…" Misao smiled faintly, "Like I said, I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He sighed heavily, "But could you do one thing for me?"

"What?"

"Bring my mother's pin back. Since I won't be marrying you, I need it back…"

"Of course. I'll come by tonight with it. And I can't say how sorry I am…"

His shoulders slumped. She was being so nice about it! "Just go…I'll be fine."

She gave him one last look. He looked defeated, as if he didn't have any other way to try and win her over. She felt terrible…First making Aoshi-sama suffer, now this. _Can I sink any lower? _She wandered away from where he stood, but didn't go home. There was too much on her mind.

She wound up in the market. Her thoughts a jumbled mess, she looked from one face to another. _All of these people are so happy…They have their lives on track and they know what they want. And I just make a mess of things…I wait for paradise to come to me…As if I wait long enough, it'll come…_A determined look crossed her face. _Not any more…_

Aoshi was pacing his study once more. _I have to work up the courage to talk to her. I need to tell her how I feel. This is torture, seeing her with him…she needs to know, in case she still feels something for me. If she doesn't…_

If she didn't, he would be distraught. If she cared for the skunk…If that man had won her heart…He did know what he would do. But he certainly wasn't going to give up that easily. Not after he had spent two years trying to figure out what he felt for her. Not after they had been together all that time. He had forced himself to go on after his fight with Kenshin in Shishio's lair because he needed to go back to her. He had lived for her.

He would die for her.

Now that he was certain of this, he had to act upon the feelings. _I'm sorry, Misao. I didn't mean to ruin your birthday and upset you. I wanted to tell you…but I didn't know how. It doesn't make what I did to you right, but I hope you forgive me. I even bought you a gift…_

That sounded okay, didn't it? He pondered over what he should say to her. Should he say he was sorry first? Or tell her what he felt first? Give her the gift…then see what she says? There were too many things he could do. How would he decide which was the best course of action?

First things first. He went over to his desk and pulled the present out of the drawer. If only she knew…He'd had the intention of giving her that gift for three weeks. But couldn't summon the audacity to do it. _Some warrior I am…_

__

I still need to figure out just what to say to her. He sat down at the desk, his hands folded on the smooth oak. A million different ways to tell her he loved her were marching through his mind. Which way to use?

__

Where is it? Where is it?! Misao was rummaging through her things for the unwanted hair pin. She couldn't remember where she had put it. She hadn't wanted to face the idea that he wanted to marry her, so she'd hid it away where she wouldn't need to look at it. But where had she put it?

She fairly tore her room apart looking for the flat box. It had to be there somewhere. It didn't just disappear. Where was it? Where was it? She rustled through a drawer in her bureau, tossing clothes here and there. _In the closet…_She pushed things around on the closet floor.

Then she caught sight of the violet haori where it lay on the floor in a corner. _That's right…I never took it out of my pocket…_She rose from the floor and dusted herself off. Going over to the corner, she picked the jacket up and stuck her hand in the pocket. Her fingers closed around the box. _Got it!_

It still annoyed her that he had given that to her in the first place. He had been her first companion outside of the Oniwabanshu and they had played together nearly every day. How could he know so little about her still? Aoshi-sama would scoff at the emerald. If it had been from him, it would have been a sapphire…

She knew what she wanted and she knew what needed to be done. There would never be another doubt. Whether or not Aoshi wanted her, he was stuck with her. She'd never stray from him again. _He is my heart's desire._ She smiled at this thought, _And he always will be…_

Thundering down the stairs, she stopped briefly on the way out the door. "Hey, Gramps, I'm going to Jishin's for a little while. I have something to return to him. I'll be back soon."

"Misao, when are you going to patch things up with Aoshi?" Okina called after her as she departed.

"When I come back!" She called over her shoulder as the door closed behind her. 

The old man smiled to himself. She seemed a lot happier than before. That was good. Perhaps this whole fiasco would turn out okay in the end after all.

About an hour later, Aoshi appeared in the doorway. "Okina, where's Misao?"

He looked up from a cup of tea. This could get interesting. "So the two of you are talking to one another again?" Aoshi's face had remained noncommittal as usual, but his eyes…they were different. He looked very peaceful, as if his mind was clear, and he had made a huge decision.

"Not exactly. But I plan on changing that. Where is she?"

"She," He paused, drinking another mouthful of tea, "Had to return something to that Kanemochi boy. Said she would be right back. That was about an hour ago." He set the cup in the saucer, "She wanted to talk to you when she got back."

Aoshi's eyebrows went up. "Talk to me? About what? Isn't she angry at me still?" His heart was pounding. This was the moment of truth…

"She didn't appear to be. But she also didn't tell me what she wanted to talk about."

"She's been gone over an hour already?" He frowned, "If she was just returning something to him, she should have been back long ago." His thoughts drifted to the skunk's current money problem. Surely he wouldn't…"Misao is in trouble!" He turned and dashed out the door, his trench coat flapping around his ankles as he ran.


	9. On the Run

No one has questioned what Aoshi's gift is yet ('Cept Becca…). That surprised me. As an incentive to see what people think, I'll offer a reward to any one who guesses right. Wanna know what the reward is? Get guessing!!

Also, congratulations to Nikki, lucky reviewer #50. I'd never before received so many reviews and wanted to do something special, so I sent her a piece of art as a reward. Hope you liked it, Nikki!

***

Misao! Misao…Are you okay?? I'm coming…Aoshi's footsteps echoed off the street as he ran in the direction of the Kanemochi house. _I will not lose you now, not without telling you what you want to hear first._

Grim reality had set in. Jishin was dangerous. He cared nothing about Misao, only paying off his own debts. She was in trouble. Men trapped in a corner turned to desperate measures. _If he so much as harms a hair on her head….if he touches her in any way…He's a dead man_.

He scaled the wall surrounding the large house easy enough and darted stealthily up to the door. _Slipping in undetected may prove to be a challenge…It has been two years since I had to do anything like this…But for you, Misao…I'll try my best._

What happened…? Misao's eyes were heavy with sleep. She blinked, struggling to sit up. _…Where am I…? _Her body ached. What happened? She thought hard_…Jishin…_She had gone to his house. _That must be where I am….But why was I asleep? _He had asked for that ridiculous pin back after she said she loved Aoshi. So she'd gone to take it to him. He invited her in for tea…_Why can't I remember anything else?_

"Ahh, so you're awake now. Very good, My Darling." 

She peered through the darkness, trying to figure out from where Jishin's disembodied voice had come. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts, but one thing was clear. _I'm not his darling! _She recalled well enough that she had been planning on talking to Aoshi when she got home. Had she mentioned that to the rich boy? Was he so jealous that he'd try to force her to stay?

"This will be a lot easier if you're conscious." He appeared from somewhere in the shadows. 

Misao, still feeling groggy and disoriented, sat up weakly. Jishin loomed over her, a crazed gleam in his eyes. She stared at him, a feeling of great doom washing over her. "What did you do to me?" She asked suspiciously.

"Oh nothing. Just paralyzed you, that's all." He patted her on the head and it was then that she realized he -or some one else- had not only unbraided her hair, but also changed her clothes.

She shivered involuntarily. She had been wearing pink and purple, but was now dressed in a gray yukata. Had he been touching her? Had he taken advantage of her? Her eyes welled with tears. How would she be able to face Aoshi-sama if she were no longer pure? What would he think of her?

"Don't worry, I haven't hurt you and I have no intention to." He sat down on the edge of the bed, a twisted smile on his face.

"Why are you doing this?" She whispered. He had to be insane. He had to be crazy…There must've been some reason…Tears came unbidden. _…Aoshi-sama…rescue me…_

"You really don't know…I need money. A lot of money. Dear old Dad is tired of paying off his baby boy's debts. I'm on my own now. The man I have a loan from is quite insistent on getting what I owe him."

"I can't give you any money…I have nothing, Jishin." She was terrified. What was he planning on doing with her? 

"I want the Aoiya, Misao. Kanawashi is interested in acquiring as many properties as possible. Or at least," The heir's smile melted into a scowl, "He was interested. Seems your man Shinomori was threatening him a bit. He must've been spying on us that day we went to the market; otherwise there was no way he could have known what I had planned."

__

Will you just listen to me? It's- Aoshi's voice, frantic and strained, echoed through her mind. _He had been trying to warn me…And I hit him. _More tears, they came swifter now. She buried her face in her hands.

"Originally, I was going to get the deed from you and give it to Kanawashi. I didn't intend for you to ever know what I did with it. Once the old man croaked, I was going to pay off the debt and buy back the Aoiya. Then you told me you didn't want me and Kanawashi informed me the deal was off."

He paused for a moment, a contemplative look on his baby face. Then he went on, "I figured that Shinomori, since he loved you enough to follow you around like some sort of dog, would be willing to trade the deed for your safety."

"It's not his to give you!" She looked up, her eyes burning with hatred. She had trusted him. She had even considered loving him. "Okina owns the Aoiya." Her arms folded across her chest and she jutted out her chin, "Not Aoshi-sama."

"You mean to say he wouldn't do anything for you? He wouldn't steal the deed to bring you back safely? He doesn't love you that much?"

Oh, he was clever, toying with her heart like that. But she wouldn't buy it. Aoshi would come for her_. He must love me, to try to keep me safe from harm. He must…He'll come and save me. And I'll tell him how sorry I truly am_…"He loves me, Jishin. That's why he was following me around. That's why he bought me a gift. And that's why he's going to come for me without giving the Aoiya to you."

"You seriously think he'll be able to? He's old and washed out, Misao. What use do you have for that sad excuse for a man? He can't even tell you how he feels about you."

Her eyes narrowed to slits, but she said nothing, just kept her cool. "He's probably already inside, baka." She said calmly, "I told Okina where I was going. I should have been back long ago. He's probably worried sick about me." _Please, let me be right about this…_

Aoshi was indeed inside the house. He crept along down one of the halls, trying to blend into the shadows. It was a big house…Where could he be keeping her? _Misao…Hold on…I'm coming for you…Don't let him touch you…I'll be there soon. I swear on my life, I'll bring you home._

Undoubtedly, that skunk Kanemochi would be keeping her in one of the bedrooms. All lowly men thought alike. He was probably trying to have his way with her. Unfortunately for Jishin, Misao would not go down without a fight. She would do everything in her power to get Jishin away from her. Aoshi wondered if she happened to have any of her kunai stashed in her obi. The rich boy wouldn't know what hit him.

He systematically searched the house for a staircase. _Upstairs…Have to find my way upstairs…Misao is counting on me…_

Upstairs, Misao was trying to figure out how she could get her clothes back. She did indeed have a few kunai stashed away in her obi, but was unsure where it was or if he had found them. They were pretty well concealed, but he was pretty devious…Suppose he had pawed through her clothes? She shuddered.

"Are you cold, Misao?" Jishin's voice was syrupy sweet and he edged closer to her, a perverse smile on his face, "I could keep you warm. I do love you, you know…"

"You don't love me." She said quietly, "You couldn't love me if you tried. You know nothing about me. You love the girl you think you know." 

He regarded her. She looked so tiny, lost in her mass of dark hair. It pooled around her, a swirling mass of blackness, darkening her features and heightening her beauty. He quivered with desire. _All that can still be yours…_One of his hands moved towards her.

"What's wrong with you?" She backed away, "Don't touch me!" If he tried anything, she would break his hand. No, maybe she wouldn't. She was still weak from his poisoning her. She frowned. _This just went from bad to worse…_

"Can't move very much, can you?" He leered at her, "Perhaps I can help you forget your dear Aoshi-sama, ne?" He placed two fingers under her chin, forcing her too look him in the eye.

"I'll never forget Aoshi. And I certainly never would in exchange for _you_." She looked away defiantly, her tone one of the utmost contempt. 

He drew her back to him, forcing a kiss upon her lips. Her skin crawled and she longed to push him away, but didn't have the strength. His tongue ravished her mouth. Hot tears ran down her cheeks. He couldn't do this…He couldn't…Yet she could not stop him. _Aoshi…I'm sorry…_

He drew back abruptly, taking in her terrified expression. She was so innocent…He wanted her all the more. "Will he still want you after you've been ravished, Misao? Will he want a tainted girl?" His voice was breathless with longing and his emerald eyes stared into hers.

Her cerulean eyes were wide pools of unshed tears, her hair a wild tangle around her face. Her very expression seemed to be begging him to stop, but he couldn't. She was so beautiful. He had to have her.

"Be a good girl." His voice came in her ear, heavy and full of lust, "Stay still and it will all be over soon." He pushed her down onto the feather comforter, his hand caressing her tear-streaked cheek. 

"You can take my body…" She whispered, her tone insolent, "But you will never have my heart." She knew there was no way out of this. He would steal away her innocence and Aoshi would have to take her as she was, if he still wanted her. _If he truly loves me… _She squeezed her eyes shut, fresh tears welling up from inside. _Aoshi…Help me. I'm scared…_

The ninja was now sprinting up the stairs, taking them two at a time. Something was telling him he had to hurry; a sense of doom had washed over him. _Itachi…please be okay…I'm coming…Hold on; I'll be there soon…I don't care what he did to you, as long as you're okay. I just want you back safe…_

He ran down the hall, searching for any clue as to where he might be and where he could have her hidden away. It was after he passed the room that he noticed it. A faint glimmer of light -a candle perhaps- had leaked out under the door. That was it. That was the room. He stopped and pressed his ear to the door.

A slightly muffled sound of some one sobbing came from within, followed by a snarl of "hold still!" Aoshi's heart skipped a beat. _Misao…_What was that skunk doing to her? Well, now was as good a time as ever for a dramatic entrance. 

The sight that met his ice blue eyes made him far more enraged than anything else ever had. Misao, pinned down on the bed, wearing nothing but a flimsy yukata and Jishin looming over her, bare from the waist up. 

He froze in the doorway, taking all of this in. His little Misao…she looked positively terrified. Her face was red and wet from crying and her eyes were wide with fear. Jishin, on the other hand, looked utterly deranged. 

"Misao…" Aoshi's heart twisted. Had he harmed her? Was she okay? What had he done to her?? "Misao!"

***

Dun dun duuun!! And there's a cliff hanger if I've ever seen one! Bwah hah hah!! I'm so cruel!! *laughs evilly*


	10. The Rescue

"Aoshi-sama!" He had come for her! He did love her! Jishin was distracted by the former Oniwabanshu leader's presence so she pushed him away and struggled to sit up. She wanted to run to him, shower him with kisses, but was still too drained for that much movement. 

The ninja's eyes narrowed. Something was wrong with Misao. She wasn't just terrified; he had done something to her. Aoshi had watched as she pushed him off her and forced herself to sit up. She was trembling and Misao was not one to tremble in fear. "What did you do to her?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" The rich man smirked, "We were alone together for quite some time. Things tend to happen when a man and a woman are alone in each other's presence."

"What are you gettin' at?!" Misao exclaimed fiercely, "Don't listen to him, Aoshi-sama! Nothing happened! I swear!"

For the briefest of moments, a relieved smile flickered across the iceman's face. If Misao had the strength to get so worked up, she would be fine. Then his frown deepened. Whether she was okay or not was not the present issue. The fact that he even had to worry about her well-being caused him to burn with hatred towards Jishin. "What did you do to her?" He took a step forward, repeating the question.

Jishin looked like a wild animal. He knew he was trapped and there was no way out. Even without his kodachi, Aoshi was more than he could handle. The man with the ice blue eyes was a skilled fighter, while Jishin was no more than a spoiled brat. He backed away, edging towards another door on the other side of the room.

Aoshi was across the room in a few quick strides. Before he knew what had happened, Jishin found himself face to face with the man. His heart was racing and his pupils constricted. Bullets of sweat ran down his face. _What do I do? How do I get out of this? Think, Jishin, think!_

"I'll ask you one last time," Aoshi's voice was low with anger, "_What did you do to her?_" He could see himself reflected in the heir's eyes and Jishin's face showed nothing but pure terror. There was a certain adrenaline rush that came from witnessing fear and Aoshi was experiencing it then.

"She's paralyzed." Jishin finally managed to choke out, "She'll be fine in about an hour. It's already begun to wear off."

"You poisoned her?" The accusation was made along with a certain amount of malice, "You took my itachi and poisoned her because you saw no other way to pay off your unscrupulous debt?"

__

My itachi…Aoshi's words filtered through Misao's brain. He had called her "itachi" before, having picked up the endearment from Saito, but never before had he referred to her as "his." Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. By saying she was his, did he mean…? Were the situation not so serious, she would have shrieked with joy. 

"Are you afraid, Jishin?" Aoshi's voice was a deadly whisper, "Are you afraid of what I'll do to you? Is that why you're shaking?" He leaned in, closing the space between them, "You know now why it was wrong to mess with me. I don't take things lightly, especially when they involve the people I care most about."

__

The people I care most about…This was too much. Misao's mind was reeling. Did he mean this? Or was it because she was in trouble? Her heart pounded within her chest. She moved towards the edge of the bed, slowly, stiffly. _He came all this way for me…I'm not just going to sit here, the damsel in distress._ She had noticed her clothes in a neat pile on a chair_. I'm not about to be rescued wearing this._

The sound of Misao's bare feet hitting the floor caught the attention of both men. Simultaneously, they turned to look at her. _What is she doing? _Aoshi's eyebrows knit together, _If she's paralyzed, she can't…_Then his gaze followed hers to where her clothes sat. _Ahhh…_

Jishin used the ninja's split second of distraction to his advantage. He darted forward, grabbing the girl and pulling her close to him. He held the candelabra in one hand and clutched her to his bare chest with the other. "How would you like her covered in burns, Shinomori? Hm? How would you like her then?"

"Let me go, you rat!" Misao struggled to escape his grasp. She was afraid he really would hurt her.

"Hold still!" He snarled, thrusting the hot flames closer to her face.

Aoshi's mind was racing. Misao couldn't move very quickly. Or very much at all, for that matter. If he charged the deranged man, there was a chance she would get hurt too. Nevertheless, he had to do something…

The girl looked at him, a pleading look on her face. _Help me…_Her voice, though she said not a word, hung on the air. Her eyes were telling him everything, how sorry she was, how much she loved him. He wished to the gods he hadn't put his kodachis back on the wall in his study. He took a step towards the two and Jishin backed up.

Then an idea crossed his mind. Misao's kunai…A few more steps and he'd be able to get at her obi and grab one. So long as Misao realized what he wanted to do and stayed perfectly still, he'd be able to hit his mark

He continued advancing towards them until Jishin bumped into the bed and couldn't go any farther without having to climb over it. There was still a good distance between them and Misao was still struggling to get free. "Misao…" 

She looked up, "Aoshi-sama?"

"Don't move." He ordered her. Then, in one swift movement, he bent, grabbing one of the sharp little daggers from within her discarded clothes, and charged at them full speed. 

Jishin looked surprised by this sudden movement, but Misao remained calm. _If I do as he says…If I obey him…Aoshi-sama will not hurt me. _She had such faith in him.

The small knife tore through Jishin's flesh right bellow the rib cage, causing a rush of blood. The man staggered under the blow, releasing both the candelabra and the girl. Misao fell into Aoshi's waiting arms, while the flaming candles landed on the bed, instantly igniting the feather comforter.

"Aoshi-sama…" Misao was in tears again, her face buried in his chest, "I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to-" 

"That doesn't matter right now." He swung her up into his arms, "We've got to get out of here before this whole place goes up in flames."

"W-what about Jishin…? And my clothes?" She looked up at him, her eyes wet with tears. He was holding her tightly in his strong arms, cradling her as if she were a child.

His face turned a light shade of pink. It was only then that he realized that the only thing separating them was his shirt and a thin piece of gray silk. _Under that, she's totally… _Pushing that thought from his mind, he looked down at her, his icy eyes meeting hers. "I didn't harm him enough that he cannot get out of here on his own. It was better to not kill him, for now he will have to explain to his father why the house caught fire. As for your clothes, they aren't important. I'll buy you new things, if you wish." As he said this, he was already making his way out the door with her.

She rested her head against his shoulder. "I was afraid…" She said softly.

"Why were you afraid, Misao?" He was going down the stairs, taking care not to jostle her on their descent, "I would never let anything happen to you."

"I was afraid you would think I loved him." She sighed, "That I left you for him. I was so angry at you and I hurt you so much, I didn't know what you would be thinking. I was afraid you wouldn't come."

"I would never think that." He looked around to make sure no one was there, then merely sauntered down the hall towards the door. It appeared that there was no one else present in the house. "I wish it hadn't taken so long to find you, but this place is like a labyrinth."

She smiled faintly, her eyes closing. "I'm glad you came. I thought I was going to die and I had so many things to tell you before I did. I was going to come home and apologize…"

"I also have many things to tell you, Itachi." He held her closer to him as they stepped outside. It had begun to rain while he was rescuing her and was now quite chilly. _She must be cold…_He wrapped his trench coat around her, using both his own body heat and the thick fabric to keep her warm. "Things between you and me are going to be changing."

This statement got no response. Looking down, he found her asleep in his arms. _Poor girl…she must be worn out. This whole day has been an ordeal for her and she's still so young_. A slight smile crossed his face. _She's so pretty with her hair down long. I'll have to tell her to leave it that way more often…_

Aoshi took Misao up to her bedroom upon their return to the Aoiya. He settled her carefully on the bed, covering her with a few blankets, then sat sown beside her to watch over her as she slept.

__

I was afraid for you, Itachi. He smoothed back a lock of her hair. _I was afraid he would harm you. I was afraid he would kill you. And I don't know what I would have done if he had. How could I live without you? You've always been there for me, even when I told you I never wanted to see you again. And now, I want to be there for you always, because I love you…_

***

Is this better? It's not another cliffhanger, nor is it the end. And I did have a few guesses, one of which was dead accurate. Becca, I need to figure out what your prize is. The others were close, by the way. Next chapter, all will be revealed, including what became of Jishin the skunk.

Sorry my fight scene really sucked. I'm so bad at writing stuff like that. I'm a lot better at the mush and angst. But hey, there was some bloodshed and stuff involved, right?

Anywho, thanks for all the reviews. This is a personal record for me!! ^_^v


	11. The Most Wonderful Gift

__

Why do I hurt so much…? Misao awoke the next morning feeling rather stiff and sore. She felt as if she'd been run over by a train. _What happened last night? _Groaning, she pushed herself up into a sitting position. Her mind was like a thick fog; everything was jumbled together.

Then her gaze came to rest on the figure sleeping in the corner. _Aoshi-sama…_Had he slept sitting there all night? Was he really that worried? A light smile crossed her face. _Everything will be okay…_She climbed slowly out of bed and padded barefoot over to where he slept. Sinking down beside him, she rested her head on his shoulder.

"You've been putting yourself through hell over me, haven't you?" She said softly to the slumbering man, "You were so jealous. I saw the way you looked at him when he was around. You wished it was you I was with. You can deny it all you want, but…You can't fight that feeling any more, yet you're still afraid. I don't know why you're so scared." She brushed his hair back from his face, "I love you. I always have and I always will. So don't be scared."

Content to just sit there beside her beloved, she snuggled up against him, her long hair falling around the both of them. It was like this that she fell asleep, clutching his arm.

Aoshi awoke a little while later to find Misao asleep behind him, her breathing deep and even, a small smile played across her face. He smiled. _She seems to be okay…I'm so relieved_. He pulled back a lock of her hair, studying her face. _She still looks so much like a child…I hope I'm not making a big mistake. But I guess it's too late for that…I do love her so. _

Her eyes blinked open and he felt a rush of emotions for her. She looked so innocent and childlike. For a moment, a perplexed look crossed her face, then she smiled. "Aoshi-sama…" She hugged him, "Thank you."

He hugged her back, burying his face in her hair. "I was afraid I had lost you before you were even mine." He mumbled, "I was so afraid…"

She looked up, her eyes shinning with happiness. "I love you and I'm not going anywhere. I'm sorry I made you worry so much. I was angry with you on my birthday. You didn't even say anything to me at all and I was hurt. I wanted to make you jealous and I didn't know it would get so out of hand." She frowned, looking away, "It's my fault and I'm sorry."

"Hey," He gently turned her face back to his, "It's not your fault."

Her eyes met his and she stared at him, her heart pounding within her chest. _Is he going to…? _She swallowed. _This is it. This is what I've been waiting for all these years_.

"I…" He paused for a moment, "I didn't say anything to you on your birthday because I didn't know what to say. There was so much I wanted to tell you, but I didn't know how to do it. I'm still not sure what to say to you, so I suppose the best way to go would be to give you this." 

He pulled the small birthday gift from his pocket and handed it to her. She held it in both hands, looking silently from the box to him. "Is this…?" Her voice wavered. The size of it, the shape of the package…It had to be…

A shaky smile crossed his face. "Open it." He was a nervous wreck as she looked at him a moment longer, then began to peel back the wrapping. Suppose she didn't like it? Suppose she didn't want it?? He didn't know what he would do then.

Her fingers trembled as she slid off the ribbon and tore away the brown paper. _He couldn't have…Could he? He hasn't even ever told me he loves me, so why would he…? _Thoughts rushed through her mind, heaping together and all joining to form the same conclusion: _There's nothing else it can be_.

After what seemed like an eternity, she lifted the lid from the box. What was inside…Her eyes filled with tears and she drew in a breath. "Oh, Aoshi…" She whispered. In all of her hopes and all of her dreams, she never would have expected this. 

He wanted to marry her.

Inside the box, nestled in layers of tissue paper, was a ring. Not just any ring though; it could have been made just for her. A small sapphire set in a narrow silver band. Inscribed on the band "eien ni." _Eternally_. She lifted it gingerly from the wrappings and turned it over in her hand. Then she looked up at him.

"Do…do you like it?" He sounded almost sick with worry. She hadn't said anything. Was she pleased?

She stared at him a moment longer, her cerulean eyes wide in disbelief. Then she tackled him in a hug. "I love it!

Recovering from the force of her embrace, he smiled, feeling very relieved and happy. "I thought you might." Then his tone grew serious once more, "I was going to give it to you on your birthday. I wanted to apologize to you for everything I've put you through. I wanted to tell you I was proud of you. That I love you and would be honored to have you as my wife. I was going to ask you to marry me." He paused, "But then he showed up and did all those things that I couldn't and you didn't tell him that you didn't want him. I was angry. I was hurt. I lost my nerve. I should have told you everything then. I argued with you instead. I'm sorry."

She listened to all of this and her heart went out to him. He had never before seemed so vulnerable to her, never let his deepest feelings show. "I forgive you." She said softly, "I forgive you for everything if you forgive me."

"I forgive you." He smiled, smoothing back her hair. Their foreheads rested together and his ice blue eyes stared into hers. "I love you, Misao. I have loved you for the past two years. I was a coward that I couldn't tell you. Will you marry me?"

"Of course I will!" She laughed, "Was there ever any doubt in your mind? I've only loved you my whole life. You're the only man I could ever love. You are my heart's desire."

Her smile was so wonderful, her innocence so beautiful. He pulled her close to him, drawing her pretty face up to his. "Your heart's desire, am I?" He asked quietly. His mouth closed over hers; he kissed her softly, smoothly, passionately. Her lips had a wonderful honey taste. He never had imagined anything could be so terribly pleasing as kissing her.

As he drew back, she leaned in, deepening the kiss. She had been waiting all those years for him and, now that she had him, wasn't about to let him off so easily. His eyes widened in surprise. Where had she learned to kiss like that? He was her first and he knew it. So where had she…? Oh, who the hell cared? It didn't matter. She was practically in his lap, her arms around his neck and she was kissing him. Why was he wondering about something so stupid?

"I want to be with you for the rest of my life." She broke the kiss and drew back slightly, still gazing into his eyes, "I never want you to leave me again. Promise you won't ever go."

"Misao," He caressed her cheek with the back of his hand, "I don't think I can make that promise. Don't look at me like that." She was frowning slightly, her whole face had melted into a pout, "I don't want to make a promise that I can't keep. There will be times that I will have to leave you." He paused, a slow smile spreading across his face, "But I'll always come back to you. I love you."

She grinned, enjoying his touch. "You had better."

"I will." He drew her back up, kissing her again, "When I marry you, I'll make a promise to never abandon you." His lips roamed down towards her neck and she moaned with pleasure, "I'll promise you, and I am a man of my word."

"Oh, Aoshi…" She didn't know what else to say. He was so terribly romantic. "I love you so much…" She ran her fingers through his hair, pushing it from his cold eyes. "I was afraid last night. I was afraid of the things I imagined he would do to me. But now, I imagine myself doing the same things with you." She blushed furiously and he couldn't help but laugh.

"Maybe later on, Itachi. I want to make sure you're okay before I do anything like that with you." He kissed her cheek, marveling at how innocent she was. He wished to delay the inevitable, but knew it was only a matter of time. She had wanted him for most of her young life and he had come to covet her in the same way over the past two years. Now that the time had come, he didn't want to spoil her. He enjoyed her innocence so much.

"Oh, but Aoshi," She pouted seductively, "I want you now…"

He felt his throat constrict. He was burning for her. She still wore nothing but that gray silk and her hair tumbled around her shoulders, her cheeks slightly rosy. She was a picture of purity there in his arms and she was asking him to defile her. He swallowed, mulling over what to do. _I really should wait…at least until our engagement is formal…But I can't…Oh, why is this so difficult?? You know why…Because you love her. You don't want her to ever suffer again…You don't want her to hurt. To hell with that!! _

"I'll be gentle." He promised softly, easing her down among the bedding, "I won't hurt you. I swear on my life, I will never hurt you." 

She simply nodded, her eyes wide with awe as he slid his shirt off. Her heart pounded wildly at the sight of his bare chest, battle scars and all. Battered and broken, he was beautiful to her. Her small fingers explored his chest as he kissed her, slid back the yukata to reveal her pale skin. 

Her fingers tracing the path of his scar caused him to shiver. Chills ran up his spine and he could contain himself no longer. He kissed her desperately, an act which left them both breathless. It took him a moment to realize she was as frantic for him as he was for her. She was pulling him closer to him and he was afraid he would crush her, she was so tiny.

"I have climbed the highest mountains," She whispered, "I have run through the fields, only to be with you." She kissed him as she spoke, "I would chase you to the ends of the earth and beyond. I ask you now for one thing: all of your love."

"And I give it willingly to you." His mouth was by her ear and he kissed her hair, "I love you. You've been so good for my heart. You make me feel things I've never before felt, My Itachi. I love you; ai shiteru…"

"I love you too…I always have love-" Her voice caught in her throat and she gasped as they became one. 

He looked down and his ice blue eyes met hers. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. There was no need for her to speak; her eyes said it all. He frowned slightly, drawing back from her. "I didn't…I didn't hurt you, did I, Itachi?"

She shook her head, a smile crossing her face. "No…You could never hurt me. You were wonderful; the way I always imagined." She sounded immensely pleased with herself. She stroked his cheek, still gazing into his eyes.

"You were wonderful too." He kissed her, then lay there with her snuggled in his arms. "You're an incredible woman. I love you so much." 

She twisted around in his arms, her head rested on his bare chest. A cheerful smile played across her face and she placed her hand under her chin. "Thank you."

"For what?" He propped himself up to look her in the eye.

"For a wonderful birthday gift." She kissed him, "And I don't mean the ring. You gave me your heart and soul. I'll have to think of something just as wonderful to give you."

He smiled, brushing back her hair. "What could I possibly want that I don't already have, Itachi?"

"I'll think of something." She teased, kissing him again. Everything he said to her made her extremely happy. How dare he be so wonderful?

***

This chapter is sort of weak by my standards. Usually I write the best mush and fluff and limey stuff. Maybe I'm just burned out or maybe it's because I was trying to keep this PG, but it could have been a lot better.

I do have a good idea for an epilogue and a guest appearance by another RK character (try to guess who --And it's not Kenshin! Although he lives in my dorm…), so stay tune for the conclusion!!  
  
Thank you all for your reviews. I waited until I hit 100 to post this chapter. I love you all.

-SC


	12. Something Even Better

Hey, guess what! Since you guys like this so much, I'm going to make it longer. My stories tend to be long-winded and I have a few more ideas involving Jishin, so I was kinda depressed that it was drawing to a close. But if you like it so much after you read this, tell me. This chapter could easily become an epilogue or it could easily give way to more chapters. So let me know what you think!!

***

Early one morning in January…

"Oi, Misao-chan! Where are you going in such a hurry?"

The young woman skidded to a stop, trying not to slide through the snow littering the street. She looked over her shoulder only to come face to face with the smiling visage of Sojiro Seta.

"Sojiro?" She blinked her cerulean eyes, "What're you doing back in Kyoto?" The boy once known as the Tenken had been wandering Japan for the past two years, searching for his own version of the truth much the way Kenshin had. At the present, he was wrapped up in a heavy jacket, a bag slung over his shoulder. His dark hair hung in his eyes, slightly longer than usual.

"Oh, just passing through." He smiled pleasantly, "I am still wandering, still seeking the truth. You seem well. Where are you hurrying off to?" He repeated the question in a cheerful manner.

"It's Aoshi's birthday." She grinned, "I'm on my way to give him his present."

"And I'm sure you have something wonderful for him, Misao-chan." The young rurouni's smile widened.

"Since he's married me, he says there's nothing I can give him that he doesn't already have." She smiled impishly, "But I do have a great gift for him, so I've got to get going home so I can meet him when he comes back from the shrine."

"Have fun and tell him happy birthday for me." The young man never once lost his cheerful expression as he waved at Misao.

"Ja ne, Sojiro-san!" She called over her shoulder as she ran off.

"Sayonara!" He lowered his hand, wondering what she was going to give him. There had been no sign of a gift and anyway, what do you give a man who has it all? 

"Where have you been, Itachi?" Aoshi was waiting her on the porch of the Aoiya.

"Happy birthday!" Ignoring his question, she launched herself into his arms, a grin spread across her face. 

"Thank you. Now let's go inside." He could feel her shivering, "Have you been outside all this time?"

"No. I saw Sojiro and stopped to talk to him. That's why I was late getting back." Her face was flushed pink and she was slightly out of breath. Strands of her hair had worked their way loose from the braid and he could tell she had been in a big hurry.

"You saw Sojiro?" He questioned as he ushered her through the door, "How is he doing?"

"Fine. He said to tell you happy birthday." She hung her coat on a hook beside the door, then looked over her shoulder at him. "And speaking of birthdays…" She turned to face him, taking his hand in hers, "I have something for you that will make you very happy."

He smiled slightly, wondering what she was about to give him. "There's nothing you can give me that will make me happier than I already am."

"Aoshi," She grinned, looking up at him eagerly, "There is something I have in my possession that you will be glad to receive."

His eyebrows knit together as he pondered over what this mystery gift could possibly be. She still held one of his hands in both of hers and was smiling up at him sweetly. "There's nothing I can think of. How about you quit teasing and just give it to me?"

"Oh," Her laughter was light and airy, "I can't give it to you right now. I can't give it to you for a while. About six months to be exact."

He blinked his icy eyes, looking at her. She was still laughing, her smile wide and beautiful. He still didn't understand quite what she meant. His cluelessness was rewarded with an affectionate kiss and she placed his hand over her belly. "Shiawase tanjôbi, Papa." She exclaimed gleefully.

It took a moment for her words to sink in. _Happy birthday, Papa_. He did a few quick calculations. _About six months…_It had been nearly three months since their little romp and the honeymoon showed no signs of ending any time soon. "You mean….? You're…? We're…?…A baby?" He finally finished.

"Oh Aoshi…" She laughed harder, "Yes!"

He looked dumbfounded. He had to turn the idea over in his mind several times before it hit full impact. They were going to have a baby. He was going to be a father. She was…He looked down at her still-flat stomach, then his gaze wandered back to her face. "You're sure?"

She frowned slightly, chewing on her lower lip. He didn't seem as happy as she hoped he would. "That's what the doctor just told me, so yes." She stared back at him evenly, her azure eyes never leaving his face. His expression was sort of a stunned one and his eyes kept wandering down to where she still held his hand to her middle. "If you're not happy…" She let go of his hand, turning her back to him, trying to fight back tears.

"Hey," His hand rested on her shoulder, "I'm happy. Itachi, I love you and I will love any children we have together. I was just surprised that it would be so soon."

She looked over her shoulder at him. Her eyes were full of unshed tears and her chin trembled. "You mean it?"

"Of course." He wrapped his arms around her, "So don't cry."

"I'm sorry I doubted you." She sniffled, "You looked upset and I didn't want to upset you on your birthday."

"I'm not upset." He stroked her hair, smiling fondly down at her, "I was just shocked. You don't expect something like a baby for a birthday gift."

"You are happy?" She was still a little worried. He had taken very good care of her when she was a child, but he wasn't exactly the fatherly type. What would he do with a baby?

"I'm happy." He kissed her forehead, "So don't spend a lot of time worrying over it."

"What do you think every one else will think? We weren't even married yet and they'll all know it." She blushed, "They'll know what we did and when we did it."

"I think they'll all be more happy to hear about the baby than anything else. They won't even think about it. And anyway, Misao, it's none of their business what we do when we're alone together."

"You're right." She smiled up at him, "It shouldn't matter to them. But we can tell them later, when we go out, right? I'd like it to be a secret between me and you for a little while at least."

"Of course. Anything you want." 

"Good. Now I'm going to go change my clothes. Then I'll be all ready to go."  
  
"Do me one favor, since it is my birthday." He caught her by the arm as she turned to go, "Leave your hair down long. I like it that way."

"Okay." 

He watched as she scampered off up the stairs. Then a small frown crossed his face. _A baby…_That would give him a lot more to worry about. _What am I going to do with a baby? It was hard enough to take care of Misao as a child and she hadn't been a baby. How do you hold them? How do you take care of them? Babies are so tiny…I know nothing about children._

"Happy birthday, Aoshi-sama." Omasu passed by the perplexed man, a stack of freshly washed towels in her arms. Then she paused. "What are you doing standing here in the hall?"

"Misao is changing her clothes before we go out." He said absently. There was a lot on his mind and very little of it had to do with his birthday.

"Um…" Omasu looked at him. There was a very vacant look in his eyes and he seemed as though he were on another planet. "That doesn't explain why you're standing in the hall."

"I am thinking." 

"Okay…" Shrugging, she sauntered down the hall, struggling to keep from losing any of the towels. He wasn't making much sense, but he looked really confused, so she wouldn't press the issue any further.

__

A baby…His train of thought was on a one-way track._ Misao will make a good mother…I've seen her with the children in the village. She's so patient and caring and gentle. But me…Am I going to be a good father? Children need to be hugged and played with. Can I do that? Can I be the kind of father a child needs? What if-_

"Aoshi…Are you okay?" Misao had come bounding back down the stairs, her hair bouncing around her face. She stopped, her smile fading, when she saw the look on his face. He looked so serious; so thoughtful. One hand rose slowly to her waste. _The baby…He's thinking about the baby. He doesn't want it._

Should she be running around like that? She's so tiny…Can she handle having a baby? What have I done to her? Guilt washed over him. She had been innocent and pure and he had acted on carnal instincts. _But you married her _a small voice in the back of his mind reminded him. He forced a smile. "I'm okay." He said slowly. He looked up at her and his smile then was a genuine one, "You look beautiful."

Her face flushed red and she smiled shyly, causing him to laugh. She was shameless in bed with him and now they were to have a child together, yet she still blushed every time he told her she was beautiful.

She did indeed look very attractive at that moment. Dressed in a very pale green kimono and matching obi, her hair thick and wavy around her pretty face, she stood on the bottom step, one hand resting lightly over her stomach. Her cerulean eyes were wide with surprise, as if she hadn't been expecting the compliment. A pink blush had spread across her cheeks and she was smiling lightly. "Thank you." She replied bashfully.

"Come one; let's go." He offered her a hand, "They'll all be waiting for us. And," He paused, smiling softly at her, "You'll want to tell them all the good news." He wanted children with her. He had decided that when he decided he wanted to marry her. While he hadn't been planning for it so soon into their marriage, she seemed happy about it and that made him very happy.

She placed one small hand in his, alighting from the step. _Good news…_He hadn't sounded sarcastic when he said it. Maybe he was happy. Time would only tell.

A short while later, Aoshi surveyed the faces of those who had wished him happy birthday. Okina; who had tried to keep him from making the biggest mistake of his life. And he nearly killed the man. Okon and Omasu, Shiro and Kuro; who protected Misao and tried to keep her from hurting while he was gone. He owed them all so much. And Misao…His pretty wife sat at his side, a radiant smile on her face. She was waiting for him to tell them all.

He swallowed, trying to collect his thoughts. He wanted this to come out right so he wouldn't upset Misao. He wanted their child all right, but was afraid he would say something that she would take the wrong way. He cleared his throat. "Misao and I have some very good news for you all." He paused, glancing at them nervously. They were all looking expectantly at him. Misao smiled encouragingly, her hand on his arm. She squeezed it reassuringly and he looked at her gratefully. Taking a deep breath, he continued. "We're going to be having a baby."

This announcement was followed by a stunned silence. Then Okon and Omasu squealed with excitement. There was a flurry of movement; the girls hugging Misao, Shiro and Kuro shaking his hand and offering their congratulations. 

Aoshi relaxed slightly. They were all pleased. He felt very relieved by this. A part of him had wondered what their reaction would be. There had been a rather pleasant outcome. What a good birthday it had been.

"Happy birthday, Aoshi." He heard Misao's voice in his ear. She kissed his cheek, causing him to smile.

"I hope the real gift comes later when we're alone." He whispered back to her.

"I'm already carrying your carrying your child." She drew back in mock horror. "What more do you want from me?"

"Only all of your love." He replied.

She smiled softly. He was so terribly good to her. How dare he be so romantic?

***

I'm going to run a little poll since I've decided this story will keep going. I want to know whether y'all think they should have a daughter or a son. Let me know in the form of a review.

Maybe this'll help you out: I've got a name for both gender. Aoi for a girl or Seiji for a boy. It's up to you guys, so get reviewing!!

And I promise the next chapter will be about Jishin and what happened to him! It'll undoubtedly be really short, but I have a name for it already: "A Skunk's Scent Never Changes." So watch for that as early as tonight!!


	13. A Skunk’s Scent Never Changes

That same day in January, not too far away, a young man with chestnut hair and emerald eyes was sitting sullenly in what was left of a once-finely furnished room. Now, however, the room was in a shambles. The bed a charred lump, the floor scorched, the curtains tattered; this was the room where Aoshi had rescued Misao from Jishin's clutches.

The young man scowled at the sight of the burned-out room. Every time he entered the chamber, the smell of blood -his blood- mingled with singed pine invaded his nostrils. His father, the old tightwad, had ordered the servants to leave the room as was as a reminder to his son why he should marry into his own social circle.

Kana Kanemochi had been angry. Very angry. When he'd returned home and found his son unconscious and bleeding amid a raging fire, he'd known the whole thing had something to do with that bitch from the Aoiya.

As they say, blood is thicker than water, and Kana pushed aside his anger long enough to rescue his only child from certain doom. The fire was contained to that room and eventually put out, but this did not quell the flames of anger raging within him.

Jishin narrowed his eyes, his father's voice ringing through his head_. See why I told you not to bother with that orphan? Why can't you find a good woman like your mother? I told you…I warned you. That slut was nothing but trouble. You try to do something nice for those less fortunate than you and what happens? That crazy ninja came in here and tried to kill you. I never want to hear another word about that girl again, or I'll write you out of the will. Do you understand me?_

He ran his fingers along the charred remains of the bed. I almost had her here…She was nearly mine. _Father, it is you who does not understand. I lust after her and she shows me nothing in return. Then when I nearly have her in my power, he starts to pay attention to her. She would have been mine were it not for that man. Shinomori. _

He lifted his shirt, studying the scar Aoshi had given him. A small patch of pinkish flesh under his ribcage; it was a constant reminder of how much he loathed the ninja. He lightly fingered the puckered flesh, his hatred towards Aoshi growing. His back was covered in burns, but that was nothing compared to the wound he received from Misao's kunai. What annoyed him most about that scar was the fact that it was created with the weapon of the girl he loved.

__

Misao never would have physically hurt me so…Shinomori…He did this to me. The blood boiled in his veins._ I must get revenge. I must…Shinomori must die. _A sadistic smile spread across his face._ Money can buy anything. I won't even have to shed any blood. I won't have to get my hands dirty. _

But…

But she did hurt me. She toyed with my heart. She said she cared about me. Then she went and married that bastard instead. Suppose I see her in the market or around…What would I do? 

You would reach out and wrap your hands around her slender little neck. A voice in the back of his mind whispered,_ She cost you a lot of money and a lot of pride. Perhaps…Perhaps Father was right. She is a little tramp. She betrayed you. She stole away your happiness and now she deserves to suffer._

Yes; He agreed with the voice,_ She should suffer. I'm going to make her suffer. If I can't be happy, neither can she._

A warped smile crossed his face as plans began to form in his mind. Revenge would be sweet.

***

Oooo…Can't let them just be happy! You didn't think he would go away and leave them alone, did you??

The polls are still open: Boy or girl? Right now, girl is winning!! Every one seems to like the idea of a chibi Misao running around. What do you think? Cast your votes today!


	14. The Cat

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!! 150+ REVIEWS!! THANK YOU!!!

For the people suggesting 2 separate stories: I had considered the idea of a sequel. But, seeing as this is going to follow the same plot, I decided to keep it as one big fic (my fics tend to get long-winded anyway…I suppose fans of my Inu Yasha trilogy got lucky that I split that into 3 separate stories.). Also, I wasn't sure if all the people reading would find there way to a new fic and I want to keep the reviews coming!! (I know, I know…I'm selfish!) XD

***

"Misao, you shouldn't be doing that."

"I'm fine."

"No, let me do it for you."

The young woman frowned menacingly. For the past week, since Aoshi's birthday and the announcement about the baby, Okon and Omasu had been treating her as if she were breakable. She was incredibly independent and it was extremely frustrating to have them offer to do her chores for her. "Okon, go away. I can handle hanging the laundry on my own."

"But it's freezing cold out there. And it looks like it's about to snow. Aoshi-sama would not want you outside." The older woman reasoned.

Misao sighed. This much was true. Aoshi would be angry at her if she went out when snow was predicted. Especially if she went out to hang wet laundry when the temperature was somewhere around ten degrees and there was a beastly wind.

But when was Misao ever one to listen to reason? She was dressed warm enough, wearing several layers of clothing along with a thick Western jacket and scarf. Her frown deepened. If being pregnant made her helpless, maybe she didn't want a baby. "Well he can deal with it. I'm not going to sit around like a slug and get fat and lazy for the next six months. It's my job to hang out the laundry and I'm going to do it." This said, she brushed past Okon and out the door. 

The other woman stood there, her eyebrows knit together in concern. Independent Misao…Always the same way. She didn't need help and she wouldn't accept help. Aoshi would not be pleased. Already rather protective of her, their former leader had practically forbid his wife from doing anything. He didn't want her outside, he didn't want her doing anything strenuous. Poor Misao.

Misao picked her way through the yard, crunching on the remains of the last snowfall. Her arms were wrapped around the basket full of wet laundry and the breeze whipped loose strands of her hair across her face. "Think I can't do anything…I'm not some sort of invalid now that I'm havin' a baby…" She grumbled out loud to herself, "I…What's that?"

Something was dangling from the clothes line, dancing on the wind. Something…It looked like…No! A sick feeling washed over her. The laundry basket fell from her hands and she began to scream.

Aoshi was seated at his desk, in the midst of writing a letter to send to Kenshin when he heard it. A scream like a siren rose up from somewhere outside. Some one was screaming bloody murder and my those screams sounded mighty familiar. _That sounds like Misao…_

It took a moment for the meaning behind this thought to fully register in his brain. Misao plus screaming equaled something was wrong. _Something is wrong…_He leapt up from his seat and sprinted out the door. _She was doing something she shouldn't have been doing and something happened to the baby. I warned her not to. I told her to take it easy…_He followed her terrified screams to the backdoor, but found it impossible to get outside.

Omasu, Okon, Okina and Shiro were huddled around the door, peering into the yard. Outside, Misao was screaming her head off, the laundry scattered and freezing around her feet. Kuro, who had gotten to her first, was doing his best to comfort her. And it didn't seem to be working.

Aoshi pushed his way past the other Oniwabanshu and out the door, tramping across the icy ground to his hysterical wife. "Kuro, what happened to her?" He demanded of the other man. Misao was shaking, her face streaked with tears, and she was still screaming.

"That happened." Kuro nodded in the direction of the clothesline. He was hugging Misao, trying to keep her from having a nervous break down or passing out or both.

Aoshi's gaze followed the nod until his eyes came to rest on what had set the girl off screaming. The line sagged under the added weight of something nearly unidentifiable. It took the man a moment to realize what exactly it was and his face paled when he did.

Swinging gently on the breeze was a cat. He recognized it as a stray that Misao sometimes fed. It had been given a crude disembowelment; it's stomach was ripped opened and entrails hung out, shiny with blood. It's eyes were wide and glassy, staring at nothing, and the clothesline creaked as it danced on the wind.

A nauseous feeling washed over him. That was just disgusting and he had an idea who had done it. Jishin was right to hold a grudge, but to take it out on Misao…That was just wrong. She hadn't done anything to him. _I was the one who injured him. I was the one who caused him to catch the house on fire. I was the one who messed up all his plans. He should be attacking me, not her. _He frowned, stepping towards the clothesline. "Take her into the house, Kuro. Get her to calm down; give her something warm. She should not be so worked up."

"Wha…What're you going to do, Aoshi-sama?" In her panic-stricken state, Misao forgot the present and the fact that she was married to him. She hadn't been so scared since she was about ten years old and he still was her Aoshi-sama.

He looked over his shoulder at her. She looked so young standing there, Kuro's strong arms wrapped around her, supporting her. They all treated her like family. She was special to them all -like that little sister you couldn't help but love- and Aoshi knew the other man was deeply upset by this. "I'm going to get rid of the cat." He said quietly. He wanted the poor dead animal gone and gone as soon as possible. It gave him the creeps.

"B-bury it…Please don't just throw it away somewhere." She sniffled, clutching at Kuro's sleeve, her fingers clenching, "It was a nice cat…"

Aoshi nodded solemnly. This was a serious situation. Very serious. He shuddered to think what might have happened had she been farther along. The more he thought about something bad happening to the baby, the more he hated Jishin for doing such a thing. "I promise I'll take care of the cat, Itachi. Now go back inside with Kuro. Please." His voice sounded strained.

"Come on, Misao." Kuro lead her back to the door and she wandered behind like a lost soul, clutching his hand in both of hers. He looked over his shoulder at her, his dark eyes full of worry. She stared back at him absently, her eyes wide with fright. "Don't worry." He pulled her forward so that she was in front of him, "Aoshi'll take care of everything."

Okon and Omasu fairly pounced on her when he pushed her through the door. They were a flurry of activity, taking her coat and scarf, telling her to go sit down. Omasu ran outside to gather the discarded laundry.

Misao stood there numbly, trying to say something. Not a word managed to come from her mouth; her throat had constricted so much she could barely swallow. A frightened squeak was the only sound she could make. Then she burst into fresh tears and buried her face in Kuro's chest.

He patted her back, unsure just what to do. It's not every day that one finds one's self trying to comfort a hysterical pregnant girl who is not one's wife. "It'll be okay, Misao." He said slowly, trying to choose his words carefully. He didn't want to say anything that would get Aoshi angry with him. So he said the one safe thing. "Everything will be okay."

Aoshi disposed of the cat by placing it in a box and burying it in the woods. He made it quick, saying a short prayer for the poor animal, then turned to hurry back to the Aoiya, back to his friends, and back to Misao.

He found Kuro still standing in the doorway, hugging Misao and attempting to stop her tears. He removed his sobbing wife from the other man's arms, nodding a silent thanks. He lifted her into his embrace, glad she was so tiny, and cradled her in his arms. She rested her head upon his shoulder, sniffling and hiccupping, and he stroked her hair. "Itachi…I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm so sorry." His lips brushed across her forehead, "I wish you didn't…It must have been terrible."

"I…I shouldn't have seen it…" She sniffled, "Okon wanted me to stay inside…If I had listened…"

"I understand, Itachi." He hugged her tightly, "I know I make you exasperated when I tell you not to do things. I know you do them anyway. I'm not going to be mad at you over it, because I know that's just the kind of person you are. And I'll keep telling not to do things I do not approve of because that's the kind of person I am. None of this is your fault."

"That was awful. Who would do such a thing to an innocent animal?" She stared up at him, her eyes wide blue pools of tears.

A frown crossed his face. He knew damn well who had done it, but he wasn't about to tell her, especially not since she was in a delicate condition. "Probably just some cruel children, Itachi." He caressed her cheek the way she liked and she sighed wearily, snuggling into his arms. _She needs to forget…I need to get this off her mind…Don't want anything to upset her or hurt the baby…_

"Did I frighten you a lot?" She asked softly, "Were you really worried? I didn't mean to scare you by screaming like that. I know I upset you. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry about." He kissed her, "That was quite the terrible sight. I would have been more upset if you didn't scream."

A faint smile crossed her face. "I'll have to tell Kuro 'thank you' later. He tried to make me feel better and I cried all over him. But right now," Her voice dropped to a whisper, "I just want to stay with you."

"I know. We'll go sit in my study. No one will dare bother us there." He wanted to be alone with her as much as she needed to be alone with him. She was still hugging him, her arms around his neck, and she still had the air of a lost child about her.

"Do you regret marrying me, Aoshi?" Misao asked softly. He was seated in the leather desk chair and she was snuggled on his lap, "I cause so much trouble. I must've scared everybody, screaming like that. I'm just a child still, aren't I?" She looked up at him, her azure eyes still full of tears.

"Itachi…" His voice was full of warning, "Don't be so cruel to yourself. You're a woman and a beautiful one at that." He wiped the tears from her eyes, "Don't cry. 'Sad' is not an emotion that suits you. I like you best when you're happy and cheerful. One of us at least should be happy."

"Oh Aoshi…" She kissed his cheek, "I'd be a lot happier if every one weren't telling me what I can and can't do. Don't tell them to stop me from doing the stuff I've always done. I won't purposely do anything to hurt myself or the baby. I want our baby more than anything. So please, _please _tell them to leave me alone about it." She fiddled with one of the buttons on his shirt.

"All right." He nodded slightly, "But you better let me scold you, because I'm your husband and I'm allowed to." He teased.

This caused her to brighten considerably. "Oh no, I get to fight with you more about it." She smiled impishly, "Because you're my husband."

A genuine smile crossed his face and he hugged her. "That's the way I love you; always disobedient and rebellious, always doing as you please. Stay as you are, Itachi." He drew her face up to his and kissed her softly, "Never change."

"I won't." She promised, laying her head back on his shoulder. His arms were around her; he held her protectively and she felt very safe and warm. He was so good to her. So sweet. So unlike how he was around every one else. He had always been that way with her and that's why she loved him. She knew the true heart of the man behind the ice blue eyes.

He stroked her hair absently, worried over her health and the well-being of their unborn child. This had potential to get very serious, were Jishin really behind the mutilated cat. That man was trouble and Aoshi knew it. He held Misao a little closer. Itachi, I swear on my life, I will never let anything happen to you…

***

Got my Aoshi plushie today!! *huggles plushie* IT'S SO KAWAII! 


	15. The Poison

Since people have been asking….The coveted Aoshi plushie is from e-bay. It was a buy now deal. Go e-bay! *huggles plushie* I love this thing…I can now say "I slept with Aoshi last night"

…And mean it! ^__^

***

Sometime in February…

"I hate this whole month."

"Why is that, Itachi?"

"Everything is so gray and depressing." Misao sighed.

It was the end of a dreary, blah day and the two were on their way home from an evening out. For the past month -since the scare with the cat- Misao had been rather subdued and obedient and Aoshi felt he owed her an enjoyable evening. He had taken her out to dinner and then they had gone for a walk, just the two of them together.

It wasn't as cold as it had been. The snow in the streets had begun to get slushy and everything was -as she said- very cheerless. (A/N: I actually enjoy February very much…I was born then, after all…)

A snowflake suddenly landed on Misao's nose and she looked up. The black sky was peppered with white flecks that fell swiftly to the ground. She sighed gloomily. "It's snowing again…"

"I thought you liked when it snowed. I thought it reminded you of me." He took her hand in his. Her fingers were like ice. "Are you cold? Come here." He placed an arm around her shoulders, drawing her close to him.

"What do I need the snow to remind me of you for? I've got you now. I don't need to sit around and stare at the snow to remember you." She gazed up at him, one arm sliding around his waist.

"Very true." He treated her to a pleased smile, "What about the snow made you think of me?"

"It's so cold and empty…the way you always were. But that was before." She added as an afterthought, "You're very different now. And that's a good thing. You talk to everybody more and you tell me how you feel a lot. You used to hide everything from me."

"I hurt you a lot back then, didn't I?" He asked quietly, "I didn't realize I was even doing it. I'm sorry, Misao."

"I forgave you for that a long time ago, Aoshi." She snuggled up to him, "I knew that was how you were and I loved you any way. It's not your fault that I loved you. I'm just glad you loved me back."

"How could I help but love you?" He enjoyed her so much. She was still so innocent and naïve sometimes, but she was his sweet little thing and he loved her very much, in spite of her occasional whining and her weasel-ish scheming. She was the only person who had loved him unconditionally from the start. How could he not love her?

"I can think of a few reasons…" She said matter-of-factly, "I'm loud and annoying and sometimes I don't think before I do something. And," She paused, trying to sound casual, "I'm not pretty…I'm just a scrawny, underdeveloped girl."

He stopped, peering at her through the night. She was looking up at him, her wide eyes full of longing. The snow falling lightly into her dark hair, her innocent expression, her cheeks rosy from the cool air; how could he see her as anything but beautiful? "You're not pretty," He agreed softly, "You're breathtaking, Itachi."

"Oh, Aoshi…" Her breath caught in her throat. He was looking at her, his deep blue eyes full of some unidentifiable emotion. He leaned towards her, one hand resting gently on her shoulder; his lips met hers in a kiss that warmed her heart and soul.

A little ways away, hidden in the shadows, was a slightly off-balance young man who went by the name of Jishin. He was watching the couple closely, a devious smile on his boyish face. _Yes, kiss her, Shinomori…That may be your last chance. Lucky I was able to pay off that kid to poison you…It should immobilize you soon enough…_He rubbed his hands together in glee, _You're just lucky I didn't decide to kill that baby of yours…Maybe another day…_

His thoughts drifted back to earlier in the day when he had been to the doctor's for one last check up on his charred back. It had been four months of hell and the burned flesh was still tender. He hated going to the clinic, but his father refused to call a doctor to the house. "You got yourself injured; you go get it taken care of." Kana had demanded. So the heir had bundled himself off to the clinic to have the last of the bandages removed from his back.

The doctor was one for making small talk. He prattled on and on about his patients -never using their names of course- and the joy he got from making them well again. That day's story was one that had unnerved the deranged boy quite a bit. "So terrible for such a young man to be injured in such a way. I love seeing my young patients. There's a girl -pretty little thing- expecting her first baby in the summer. Every time she's in, she tells me how excited she is and how happy she and her husband are. The fellow's a bit older than her, I gather, but she's loved him all her life…"

This sounded like some one he knew…Misao…Misao was pregnant with that bastard's baby. Jishin would not allow it. Something needed to be done…

He scowled at that memory. Shinomori should not have done that to her. A pretty, thin little girl like Misao should not be made to have children. It would make her fat. And Jishin did not want to see her fat. But he also found that he could not bring himself to hurt her. She was too wonderful to hurt.

So he would kill Shinomori instead.

Aoshi drew back, ending the kiss. He took Misao's hand in his once more. She was grinning broadly, her face lit with happiness. He loved how he could leave her speechless after kissing her. It proved all the more how young and inexperienced she was. Not only that, but it served to make him very glad he was the one she chose to show her all these things.

__

I love her so much…The very thought of going home to her was what forced me to go on those two years ago. I owe her my life. She broke all those bonds and loosened all those chains on my heart. She loved me even when I told her I never wanted to see her again. How did I…

Aoshi paused for a moment. He suddenly felt incredibly dizzy and disoriented. For a moment, his vision blurred. He raised one hand to his head, trying to clear his mind. _What's wrong with me?_

"Aoshi?" Misao stopped when Aoshi did. He looked slightly confused and his face was pale. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." He tried to smile. _I'm going to pass out. I've got to get home before I pass out. She can't drag me home…I'm a lot bigger than her. And that would put too much strain on her. I've got to…_

He stumbled and she tried to catch him as he fell. "Aoshi!" She exclaimed. _Something is terribly wrong with him!! _Her brain screamed in panic. _Something is wrong…_Her eyes welled with tears. _He's sick. I've got to get him home…_

"Misao…" He tried to stand up, but his knees buckled beneath him, "You've got to listen very carefully and do exactly as I say." Fear washed over him. This was not one of those things that just happened. Somebody had done something to him and he was afraid the same thing would happen to her. "You have to go home right away. Leave me here. It's more important that you and the baby are okay. Go home and send Shiro or Kuro back for me."

"But…but…I can't just leave you here." She stammered. Panic was about to consume her. Her heart was thumping in her chest as she leaned over him. "I can't leave you!"

"Do as I say. The quicker you get home, the quicker some one can come back for me. Now get going!"

She rose to her feet, terrified. His breathing was uneven and he doubled over in pain. _Some one has to be nearby…Some one who can help…_She looked wildly around. A shop nearby had a small light on. She sprinted over and began to pound on the door. "You've got to help! You've got to help!! Come out here and help us!" She thudded against the wooden door, "Help!!"

Aoshi sat in a heap on the snowy ground. _Why isn't she going home? _His mind was a hazy blur of thoughts_. I told her to go home. And why do I feel so warm? It's cold out, but I'm sweating…_

"What is all the commotion, little lady?"

Relief washed over Misao as the door finally opened. "My husband…" She exclaimed franticly, "Something is wrong with him! He needs help!"

The man who had answered her panic-stricken pounding peered over her shoulder. There was indeed a shadowy figure hunched over on the ground. He looked back at the girl. "What happened to him?"

"I don't know! We were walking home and he just collapsed! I need to get him home! Something is wrong!" She grabbed the man by the collar, "Something is wrong; don't you understand?"

"Calm down!" The man regarded her. Her eyes were wide with fear and she looked extremely young. Too young to be married in his mind, but there was nothing to do but help her. "Hold on a moment while I get my coat." 

"Please hurry."

She passed nervously by the door when the man disappeared back inside for a moment. _Don't let anything happen to him…Don't let him be sick…Let it be something he ate and he'll be better soon…Please…_Then a thought crossed her mind._ If it's something he ate, don't let it be something I had too. If I get sick, _her hands rested protectively over her soft tummy, _that won't be good for the baby._

As soon as the man reappeared at the door, Misao went running over to Aoshi. "Over here!" She called as she sank to the ground beside him. "Aoshi, can you hear me?" She ran one hand across his forehead, brushing back his dark hair. His skin was clammy to the touch. "Please be okay. I love you…" 

"You…You're supposed to go home." He sounded confused. Why was she still there? He told her to go home, but she was there, leaning over him, her soft little hand wiping the sweat from under his hair.

"I can't leave you. Not when you're sick. I belong here with you." Her voice wavered slightly; she was about to burst into tears. _Be strong, _she told herself, _Be brave for him. Don't let him know how upset you are. It will only make him worry and he doesn't need to be worrying right now…_

"I'll be okay." He tried to smile as he looked up at her weakly, "Don't cry, Itachi. I won't leave you. Not after it took me two years to finally tell you I loved you…" His ice blue eyes fell shut.

"Stay awake! Aoshi, stay awake! Don't go to sleep!" She patted his cheek gently, "Show me those cold eyes…I don't know if you'll wake up if you go to sleep…Please…" It wasn't working. No matter how hard she fought the tears, they came anyway. _He could die…Then what would I do…?_

"Miss?" The man was tugging on her sleeve to get her attention, "Where do you live? Is it far? It might be easier to take him to a doctor."

"No…We're really close to the Aoiya…We should just take him home. Omasu will know what to do…or Okina…Somebody will know! I just…I can't…"

"Misao…Calm…down…" One of Aoshi's eyes blinked open, "I'm…okay. Don't…hurt…the baby." His stomach was churning, a war raging in his bowels. Whatever he'd eaten that made him sick was going to come out one way or another.

"Oh, Aoshi…" She sniffled, "Don't worry about the baby. We'll be fine. You just worry about yourself."

"I think I'm going to vomit…" His chest was heaving and he was sweating buckets. His stomach clenched. "I ate something…Something bad…And I'm going to be sick."

"Oh…Okay. Here, sit up." She supported him as he sat hunched over, her arm around his shoulder. Never before had she seen him so helpless and it broke her heart. She brushed back his hair for the millionth time and he looked at her, his deep eyes somewhat glassy. "I love you." She kissed his sweaty forehead, "Everything's going to be all right…"

The other man watched this with interest. Also watching was Jishin. The deranged young man frowned. _Why isn't he dead yet? Why is he still alive? That little brat must have messed up somehow._ He scowled. _No wonder they say 'don't send a boy to do a man's job.' _He stormed away into the darkness. _Next time, Shinomori…_

***

Woo! How's that for drama! Go me! And I'm not writing a scene where he actually barfs, because I have a terrible fear of vomit (which is called "Emetophobia"). Don't worry, he'll be okay. I never kill off main characters. But I have a good plan for chap 16 and chap 17 may have Kenshin, Kaoru and a cute little Kenji (I love babies…can't you tell?) in it. Haven't decided yet, but the Himura family will show up at some point, so stay tuned!

And your last chance to vote is this chap! The poll closes after I post 16, so get voting!! Girl is winning by a landslide. ^^v


	16. The Fire

Hmm…I have nothing to say right now other than I'm on a Kamatari high *glomps Kamatari* He is just sooooo KAWAII!! 

Kamatari: *struggles to breath I'm glomping so tightly* …Save…Me…

All of you: *too busy reading*

***

March…

"Misao, where have you been?"

The young woman had just shut the door to Aoshi's study. It was a blah, rainy day and she was sick of being cooped up inside. It had been raining for days and showed no signs of stopping. Misao couldn't stand being stuck inside. "I went to the clinic to see the doctor."

"Everything all right?"

"Yup. Just a check up. He says that I've gained the right amount of weight so far; that the baby should be healthy." She broke into her characteristic grin.

Her excitement caused him to smile. Five months it had been. She had a little tummy that got hidden in the folds of her clothes, but he knew it was there. He'd seen that soft mound that was their baby, the product of their love. "That's good."

She crossed the room to him, dropping her haori into the seat of the extra chair he'd brought in for her. "What are you up to, Aoshi?" She was behind him, her arms around his neck, her chin rested on his shoulder.

He turned to look at her. "I've been thinking…"

"About what?" She could easily tell that he was being very serious.

There was a long silence before he responded. "About that cat back in January. My being poisoned last month. All those other odd little things happening around the Aoiya; your clothes disappearing from the line, the threatening notes pinned to the door…" He paused, taking a deep breath, "You do know who it is doing all of this, don't you?"

Her face darkened and she looked very sad. "…Jishin." Her voice was low and melancholy. "I don't understand what happened to him, Aoshi. He was so sweet when we were children. I really did like him."

"Itachi, people change. Things go wrong. It's not your fault; it wasn't anything you did, so don't ever think that." He reached up with one hand, stroking her cheek. She looked so worried. "I want you to be careful. Don't go anywhere alone. If he hurt you in any way, I don't know if I would be able to go on. I'd be lost without you."

"I'll be careful."

"You promise?" He asked solemnly, his deep eyes meeting hers.

"I promise. I will obey you, Aoshi." She kissed him softly, "Because I don't want you to worry." She paused, looking pensive for a moment, "I wish things could have been different. I would have liked to be friends with Jishin the way we used to be. We had a good time together."

"Things cannot always stay as they are, Itachi." He pushed the chair back from the desk and she settled herself on his lap. "Life goes on. The only thing that stays the same is that everything changes."

"I don't like change. I just want me and you to be happy and stay that way forever." She lifted a piece of hair from his eyes, looking up at him earnestly.

He smiled faintly. "Some change is good. Without it, you and I wouldn't be happy together. There would be no baby and no me and you. We would just be two people who lived in the same house because I never would have been brave enough to say I love you." He took her face in his hands, drawing it up to his for a kiss, "So you see, there's a reason for the madness."

She smiled, her forehead rested against his. "I suppose some change is okay. But not much." She kissed him back, "Although there will be a big change once the baby is born."

"Yes." He agreed, "That will be a very big change."

"Misao?" Okon's voice drifted into the room from somewhere down the hall, "Misao, where are you?"

The young woman sighed. What did Okon want now? "I better go see what's up." She hoisted herself from his lap and wandered back out of the room.

"I need you to go to the market, Misao." Okon told her hurriedly, "We have guests. I'd send Omasu, but she's washing sheets. And Shiro and Kuro are cleaning all the slush from the melting snow and rain from the front walk. That only leaves Okina and well…Sending him to the market is a lost cause."

"What do you need me to get?" She sighed a second time. Aoshi had just told her to not go anywhere alone and now Okon was asking her to go out.

"Just a few things. I have a list for you."

"Let me see what Aoshi says. He doesn't want me to be out by myself after all the weird stuff going on."

"Okay, but make it quick. I really need you to get this stuff."

Aoshi was bent over a newspaper that he had spread across the desk when Misao left. At the sound of the door opening again, he looked up. "What did Okon want, Itachi?"

"She needs me to go get some things for her at the market. It figures she would ask right after you tell me not to go places without some one else. Everybody is busy and I need to go for her. Will you come with me?"

"Of course I will. Give me a moment to finish reading, then we will go."

"Okay." She settled into her chair to wait.

A while later…

"I really like going places with you, Aoshi." Misao said pleasantly as she and her husband walked back to the Aoiya. They had gotten everything on Okon's list and Aoshi was carrying the groceries, Misao skipping along a ways ahead of him. "It doesn't matter where I am, as long as I'm with you."

"Don't do that." He chided her, "I don't want you to trip on anything. And slow down a little, Misao."

"Aoshi…" She gave him a withering glance over her shoulder, "Don't start with that again. I'm fine."

"Let me fret over you. Indulge me a little." He smiled faintly, a trace of laughter in his icy eyes.

"Oh, All-" She stopped in mid-sentence, "Is that smoke? Look, it's coming from the direction of the Aoiya!" She exclaimed, pointing.

Aoshi's eyes widened. Smoke…That was bad.

Real bad.

Dropping the groceries all over the street, he took off running, leaving Misao standing there. "Don't you dare run anywhere, Misao!" He called over his shoulder, "No running!"

"Wait! Aoshi, wait for me then!" She trotted after him, as fast as she thought he would approve of, her kimono flapping around her ankles.

"No…" She came to a dead stop once she had caught up with him, "No!" The Aoiya was on fire, the rest of the Oniwabanshu scuttling around, trying to quench the flames as they licked the sky. "NO!"

"Misao…" Aoshi's arms were around her. She buried her face in his chest and he hugged her tightly, rubbing her back in a soothing manner. "Don't cry. We've faced worse before. A little fire won't stop the Oniwabanshu."

"But Aoshi…" She looked up, her face streaked with tears, "It will take a long time to repair the building. What if the baby is born and we have nowhere to live? What will we do if all our things were destroyed? What if…"

"Shh…Calm down." He buried his face in her hair, inhaling that faint smell of sakura blossoms that always encircled her, "We'll be fine, Itachi. Everything will work out." He assured her. But he was frightened. What would Jishin do next? It wasn't safe for Misao in Kyoto any more. He had to get her out of there.

"Stay here." He told her sternly. "Don't move. I need to talk with Okina. Don't wander away, don't go anywhere near the building. Please just stay put. If the building is badly burned, it might not be very stable. It could collapse; it's still burning. And I don't want anything to happen to you, do you understand?"

"Yes…" Her voice wavered slightly. She was terrified of being homeless. Were it not for the impending birth of their child, she would not have been so worried. She rested a hand over the curve of her belly. _Don't worry, Baby, We'll think of something before you come along. Don't worry, Little One…_

"Misao!" Omasu saw her there, one hand over her stomach, a dazed look on her face, "Are you all right?"

"Wha…? Oh, I'm fine. Are you okay?" She looked at the older woman, who was slightly sooty from the fight with the fire.

"Nobody got hurt. We're all okay. Lucky for us, Shiro was still outside and noticed before it got too out of control." She attempted to smile, "It'll be like when the Juppon Gatana wrecked the place. We'll just rebuild."

Misao nodded vacantly. That was something she would never forget -her battle with Kamatari- but this was different. This happened solely because of her. "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"This is my fault. It happened because of me." Her voice caught in her throat and she began to sob, "We have no home now and it's all my fault." 

"It's not your fault, Misao." Omasu hugged the distraught girl, "None of this is your fault. You can't blame the sick things that man does on yourself. He needs help, Misao. There's something wrong with him and it has nothing to do with you."

"I'm scared, Omasu." Misao whispered, "I don't understand why he wants to hurt me. I wouldn't care. Normally, it wouldn't bother me. But my baby…I don't want him to do anything to my baby."

"Aoshi won't let anything happen to you. He loves you and he loves your baby. There's no way he'd let that skunk hurt you." Her gaze wandered back to the smoldering building, "This will not tear us apart. It only serves to make us stronger. The Oniwabanshu won't go without a fight. We would all fight to the death for you. The child you and Aoshi are to have is the future of the Oniwabanshu. It's our job to protect you."

"Omasu…" Misao blinked back tears, glancing up at Omasu. The older woman was smiling confidently, her eyes lit with hope. "Thank you."

Omasu looked down at her. "What kind of friends would we be if we didn't look out for each other?"

The girl smiled faintly, trying to make herself believe everything Omasu was saying. Things would work out. They would all be fine. She nodded slightly, more to reassure herself than to agree with the other woman.

"Misao, come with me." Aoshi appeared before the two women.

"Where are we going?" She asked curiously. 

"We're leaving. It isn't safe for you here any more. I'm going to get a few things from our room, then we're leaving immediately." He took her by the arm, pulling her close to him, "We're going to see Kenshin." He whispered softly, "I know you've missed him and Kaoru. So we're going to go visiting, just like any normal couple."

"Okay." She agreed. This was bad. If they were being forced to leave Kyoto, that meant that Jishin was very, very dangerous. Aoshi was afraid of him and Aoshi was not some one who scared easily. She looked up at him, "Bring me my ninja uniform. I want something that will be familiar if we're leaving."

He looked at her oddly. "You travel a lot, Itachi. You've never been homesick before."

"I've also never been pregnant before." She replied casually, "There's a first time for everything, Aoshi."

It was then that he understood. While it was true that she had not only traveled but traveled alone before, this was the first time she would be going anywhere in such a condition. It would take a little while to get to Tokyo and they would be there for a while. He wasn't about to travel all that way only to turn around and come back. Misao was smart enough to realize this. She must have been frightened at the though of giving birth. She was, after all, only eighteen. He could understand her wanting to take a comforting item along.

"I'll bring it." He assured her, "You wait here. I'll be right back."

She watched as he ventured into the burned out building. _Aoshi…You'll do anything for me, won't you? You're going to leave home for me. You're doing so many things you never wanted to for me. I'm such a nuisance and you love me so much…_

Aoshi was angry. Very angry. Jishin had taken things too far this time. Not only had he attacked himself and Misao, he had put the rest of the Oniwabanshu in danger too. _That man…if he hurts any one, he'll answer to me…_

***

HAH! All of you thought they were going to get visited by the Himuras…Little did you know…

Okay, the poll is closed. Girl won by quite a few votes (13 to be exact), so it looks like Aoi-chan will be making an appearance in a few chapters. Next chapter will likely be short, with the two of them traveling and possibly Saito and Tokio chucked in somewhere. Chapter 18 will be when they get to the dojo. I told you I get long-winded!


	17. Wolves

Der…the stupid SUCO internet system is down. I hate the internet here. Stupid broadband…*grumbles* There's only one thing that could make me feel better…

*glomps Kamatari, sending the cross-dresser flying*

Kamatari: Itaii…

***

"I'm hungry, Aoshi."

Aoshi looked at his wife. She was trailing behind him, one of her hands in his. Her hair swung back and forth in that long braid and her ninja suit fell in loose folds over the bulge in her middle. The weather was unusually warm and she looked rather happy to be outside.

They had been en route to Tokyo for about two weeks. The trip would take longer than normal because Aoshi was so paranoid about Misao's well-being that he wanted to stop at the first inn they came to after five o'clock and would not leave the following morning until after nine. This caused much pouting and complaining on Misao's part, but she grudgingly agreed that Aoshi did have a firm argument.

"There's a village not too far away, Itachi. Can you hold out a little longer?" 

"I suppose so." She said over-dramatically. As if to emphasize her hunger, her stomach growled.

Aoshi smiled at her fondly and a sheepish grin crossed her face. He was finding that she was the Misao he was used to now that they were traveling. She seemed to loosen up when outside. No wonder she disliked the winter weather so much. She couldn't do anything when the ground was covered in snow.

"You're not tired yet?"

"Nope. I could keep going for a while. The baby likes it outside. He's been pretty busy."

"He, is it? You think the baby will be a boy?" He teased.

"Yup." She nodded emphatically, "I think the baby will be a boy and he'll look just like you." She beamed.

He smiled softly. She seemed to have forgotten about all the bad things and she was happy. This made him very happy. She could have easily been a wanderer like Kenshin. Misao was the kind of person who belonged outside.

"You're sure you feel okay?"

"Yes!" How many times was he going to ask her? His concern was sweet, but it was getting old. 

"I'm sorry. I know it's annoying…I'm just worried, that's all. All this walking can't be good for you."

"Hey, exercise will keep me from getting fat."

"You're supposed to be gaining weight, Itachi." He reminded her gently, "It means the baby is healthy. I'd be worried if you weren't getting fat." He pulled her closer to him, his arm around her shoulder. "You're still just as beautiful to me, no matter what."

She smiled up at him. Her Aoshi, ever the romantic. He was so serious about everything, he would never tell her something he didn't mean. And he cared for her so much, and the baby, whom she hoped would be a little boy just like his father.

"This looks like a nice place to stay, Aoshi." 

Misao and Aoshi were standing in front of a quaint little inn in the village they stopped in for the evening. It was a building similar in structure to the Aoiya and, Misao noticed, there was a restaurant. 

So they ventured inside and Aoshi reserved a room. Then Misao dragged him into the restaurant. "I'm starving!" She exclaimed, "And the baby is hungry too. He's kicking me."

Already seated at a chabudai in the restaurant was a man who perked up at the sound of Misao's over enthused voice. Hajime Saito had not seen Misao or Aoshi in quite some time and it was quite the coincidence that they should happen to be in the same place at the same time_…The baby is hungry too. He's kicking me…_Had he heard correctly? He frowned. Misao was pregnant! A sly smile crossed his face. Aoshi was the only one who could have fathered that child.

He rose to his feet, ready to search for the weasel girl and find out what she was doing there, but he felt a tug on his pant leg and turned back to the table.

"Where are you going, Father?" Eight-year-old Owari was looking at him inquisitively. She had his pant leg clutched in her hand and was staring up at him through the same wolfish eyes as he himself had, strands of her dark hair falling in her face.

He patted her head. "I'll be right back, Puppy. Don't worry." 

"But where are you going?" Her fingers tightened around the fabric.

He glanced at his wife. Tokio was smiling in amusement, her dark eyes shining. Too many times had he left them. Too many times had Owari cried when he vanished from their lives. "Some one I know from a long time ago is here, Puppy. I would like to go say hello."

"May I come?" She smiled slightly, "I would like to meet your friends, Father."

"Of course you may come." 

But there was no need to go anywhere. A waitress was taking Aoshi and Misao to their seats and she led them right past the Saito family. Passing by, Aoshi looked over his shoulder, his icy eyes meeting the golden eyes of the Wolf of Mibu. "Saito." He nodded a greeting.

"Shinomori." The other man acknowledged the greeting.

"Saito?" Misao looked up, her cerulean eyes wide with surprise. There indeed was Hajime Saito, a little girl clinging to his leg, a somewhat pretty woman seated at the chabudai.

"Itachi." The word sounded strange coming from his mouth. No one but Aoshi had called her that in a long time. Saito's eyes wandered over her, taking in every little detail about the young ninja. She had remained pretty much the same, her hair still in that same ridiculously long braid, her eyes still wide and curious. Only two things about her were different: the wedding ring on her finger and the very obvious bulge in her middle. "You've gotten married."

She nodded gleefully, her braid wagging. "Aoshi and I are very happy together. And," She patted her tummy, "We're having a baby in the summer."

"I can tell." Half a smile crossed his face and he indicated the little girl, "This is Owari. She's eight. And that-"

"-Must be Tokio." Misao finished for him. Never would she forget the shock she and Kenshin had experienced upon learning the wolf had a wife.

The woman smiled. "I don't believe we've met. Hajime, who are your friends?" She rose to her feet, looking at her husband.

"Aoshi and Misao Shinomori," It seemed to be an odd notion, the two of them together as husband and wife. But then, Saito would never have pictured himself with a wife either, "My wife, Tokio."

Tokio bowed slightly, her glossy chestnut hair sliding over her shoulders like water. "I'm very pleased to meet you. Hajime tells me sometimes about the people he meets and I remember hearing about the both of you." She proceeded to lift Owari into her arms so the girl could be on eye-level with them all.

"Father, are these the people you were with in Kyoto?" Owari blinked her wolfish eyes, regarding the man from her mother's arms.

"Yes Puppy." He nodded, "They are some of the people I was with."

Owari looked back at Misao and Aoshi, studying them intently. "You're not very old, are you?" She asked Misao.

"Owari!" Tokio scolded the girl, "You do not ask questions like that." She was embarrassed by her daughter's impertinence.

"It's okay." Misao smiled, "I don't mind." She looked at Owari, "No, I'm not very old. But I am ten whole years older than you."

"You're very pretty. I wish my hair were as long as yours." She reached for the lengthy braid, wishing to touch it and make sure it was real.

"It took me a long time to grow it this long. I bet if you started now, yours would be like this in ten years. It's almost the same color." She told the little girl kindly.

Owari slid from her mother's arms and stood before Misao. She was dressed in a sea green kimono with violet trim and she bore a very strong resemblance to Saito, but Misao could tell she was an incredibly cute child. She seemed to be rather inquisitive; her animal-like eyes searched her surroundings for answers to everything.

"You're going to have a baby." She poked Misao's belly, "I want Mother to have a baby. Sometimes I'm lonely. Sometimes the other children at home don't play with me."

"No, don't poke." The young woman laughed, "Here, put your hand flat and you can feel him kick…"

Aoshi watched as his wife interacted with the child. She would make a wonderful mother. _She's so caring with children. She's patient and gentle. Our baby will have the best mother in the world. But it's father…Am I worthy of loving this child? Will I do everything right? Will I be a good father to the child I created?_

"When did you marry her, Shinomori? She can't be any older than eighteen now, can she?" Saito's cool voice dragged the ninja back to reality.

"It was shortly after her birthday." Aoshi said, his voice noncommittal, "The ring was my birthday gift to her."

Saito's eyebrows went up. "Didn't wait very long to start a family, did you?"

"It was not something we chose, Saito. It just happened. What about you? I never would have expected you to have a child, much less to be married."

"Hajime and I met shortly after the revolution." Tokio volunteered shyly, "We were together four years before Owari was born. I told him he was going to have a puppy and he laughed. He's called her that ever since. He is a wonderful father." A knowing smile crossed her face, "When he is home."

"Now Tokio…" He began, but she cut him off.

"Yes, I know. You must go where they tell you, when they tell. I understand this. Owari does not." She turned to Aoshi, "You're wife is very young. This is your first child, is it not?"

"Yes." He nodded, his expression never changing, and Tokio could sense he was trying to hide his nervousness. "Although," He added as an afterthought, "I did look after her from the time she was very small."

"And she turned out very nicely. You will be a wonderful father." The woman smiled kindly, "Owari, come here please. Say hello to Aoshi-san. You've been ignoring him."

"Yes, Mother." The little girl managed to drag herself away from patting Misao's tummy. She looked up at Aoshi -he was several feet taller than her- and a very Saito-like expression crossed her face. "Hello, Aoshi Shinomori."

Although his expression didn't show it, he was a little taken aback by her seriousness. Misao at eight had been loud and boisterous. _This child is incredibly polite. Perhaps I'll get lucky…_Misao appeared at his side, grinning up at him_…Then again, probably not_. "Hello, Owari-chan."

"You're very tall like Father." Her gaze flickered up to his face, "Mother is tall too."

Half a smile crossed his face. "Perhaps it is just that you are very small, Owari."

"Perhaps." She agreed. She rather liked Misao, but wasn't so sure about Aoshi. He reminded her quite a bit of her father. And he was very handsome, with dark, shiny hair and deep blue eyes. She smiled up at him, the same way her father smiled.

"Can we eat now?" Misao was clutching his arm, looking up at him eagerly.

"Of course, Itachi." He smiled at her, his broad hand rested on her hair.

"Hajime," Tokio smiled at her husband, "Maybe your friends would care to join us. Our dinner hasn't come yet."

"Very well." As hard and cold as Hajime Saito seemed, he lived to please his wife. She and Owari were the two things that gave him any joy in his life and he wanted them to be happy.

"What do you think, Itachi?" Aoshi stroked his wife's glossy hair as he asked the question.

"Fine with me, just as long as I get something to eat." She replied cheerfully.

Misao chatted openly with Tokio and Owari as she ate, her hands a flurry activity as if she couldn't get her point across simply by speaking. Aoshi watched fondly as she enjoyed herself, a small smile on his face. The pleasure she got from every day things made him wonder why he had thought the things he had once thought. "_I never want to see you in front of my face again…" Did I really say that to her? _She was yawning, her head rested on his shoulder. _But she forgave me anyway… _"You're tired, Misao." Saito wanted to speak with him privately, he could tell. The other man had been watching him all night. "Go to bed."

"All ri-iii-ght…" She yawned mid-sentence, lifting her head from his shoulder. She kissed his cheek, then rose to her feet. "Good night, all of you."

"Good night, Misao-san." Owari smiled up at her.

"I believe that Owari and I will also retire for the evening." Tokio knew there was something the two men were going to discuss. Leaving them alone would be the best choice of action. She offered her daughter a hand and the two followed Misao out of the room.

"So Shinomori, care to tell me what you're doing here and where you are going?" Saito lit a cigarette and took a long drag on it.

"I could ask you likewise." The ice man regarded the Wolf of Mibu, his voice emotionless and even.

"My family and I are on vacation." Saito said blandly, "When I am home, I try to make it up to them for being gone." He took another puff on the cigarette, "Now what about you? Why are you dragging the weasel around when she is in such a state?"

"I suppose it does seem rather odd, for me to get her pregnant then take her out on such a journey like this. It is most inconsiderate of me, but it is for her safety that I do this."

"Her safety?" Saito's eyebrows went up. This was a peculiar thing for Aoshi to say.

"There is a dangerous man in Kyoto, a man bent on causing Misao to suffer. He has already kidnapped and attempted to have his way with her, mutilated a cat and left it dangling from our clothes line, poisoned me and set fire to the Aoiya. I do not wish for her to be harmed nor do I want anything to happen to our child. So I decided the best thing we could do right now was leave Kyoto."

"You think perhaps this man will come to his senses in your absence?"

"A man like that can never come to his sense. I left because I did not wish to slay him in Misao's presence and it would eventually come to that if we remained at the Aoiya."

"I understand. You wish to protect her. How very noble of you, Shinomori." Saito dropped the cigarette and crushed it with the heal of his shoe, "You have truly changed in these two years and I suppose the weasel is to blame for that."

"Yes. And I am glad of it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'll be joining my wife in bed." He left Saito and ventured to the room he had booked for the two of them. Misao was already asleep, curled up on her side among the blankets. Rather than settle himself next to her, he watched as she slept, pulling the blankets up to her chin and tucking her in as he had when she was a child. She slept like that often now, her petite body wrapped around their baby as if to protect it. She looked so small and vulnerable there. 

He brushed back her hair, his hand lingering on her cheek. Leaning over, he kissed her softly. "I made a promise to you the day we were married, Itachi," He whispered, "I promised to protect you and look after you because I love you." She stirred slightly, mumbling his name in her sleep, and he felt a fresh wave of anger wash over him. _All of this she is going through…It is because I didn't tell her sooner that I loved her. If I had told her…_Brushing aside these thoughts, he continued speaking, "And I will not break that promise."

***

Well, I lied. This turned into an incredibly long chapter. Whoopsie…Hee hee. Any way, I hope this didn't seem too much like filler…I like making random characters show up in unusual places plus I couldn't resist Owari. She's Saito's daughter that Zanza, Writer-for-Hire, created for a one-shot fic called "Tsuku Ie" and she's just adorable! *glomps Owari*

Next chapter, I promise Kenshin, Kaoru and Kenji, so stay tuned!

*runs off to start writing*


	18. Tokyo at Last

Sickness is so not cool. The SUCO plague is going around already. At least my Mommy-Away-from-Home is getting me drugs…I'll be hopped up on Nyquil soon. Ahhh….*hacks and coughs*

Muses: O_O Stay away!!!

How 'bout you go 'way so I dun get you sick. You can all read the story instead of talking with me since I'm dying…*wheezes*…Damn asthma… _

***

Early April…

"Himura! HIMURA!!" Misao burst through the entry gate of the dojo. It had taken long enough to get there and she was excited to see them. Aoshi had made the trip painfully slowly because he was fretting over her and she was tired of traveling.

Kenshin was doing laundry around the side of the house when he heard a voice calling his name. "That sounds like Misao-chan…" He looked up, blinking his amethyst eyes, "But what would she be doing here in Tokyo?"

Aoshi trailed along behind his wife. He wanted to tell her to slow down, but they had reached their destination and he was very relieved the trip had gone off without a hitch. Perhaps he would indulge her just this once and let her run around. She wouldn't run far.

Not that she could run very fast to begin with. Nearly six months of pregnancy could slow any one down and Misao was no exception to this. Even the great ninja and self-proclaimed leader of the Oniwabanshu knew when she had to slow down and take it easy. "Himura!" Klutzy as always, she tripped over a rock and stumbled. "Gah!"

Aoshi caught her by the armpits from behind. "See why I want you to be careful, Itachi?" He asked fondly.

She looked over her shoulder at him, a slight blush spread across her cheeks. "Thank you. And I'm sorry I make you worry. I don't mean to do it…"  
  
"I know." He set her upright on her feet, "That's just the way you are." A smile crossed his face, "And I wouldn't change you for anything."

"Aoshi…" She took one of his large hands in hers, a grin on her face, "I love you. You do know that, right?"

"Oh?" He said nonchalantly, "I was unaware."

She feigned mock outrage at this. "Why you!" Laughing, she threw herself at him and he caught her in his arms. "I love you and I'll make you love me." Wrapping her arms around his neck, she gave him a kiss. "Now do you love me?"

His eyes danced with happiness. "Of course, Itachi. I have loved you all along."

"Misao-chan….Aoshi." Kenshin caught them in the middle of this pleasant moment, "How very happy you both look."

"Himura!" Misao exclaimed. She slid out of Aoshi's embrace and looked at Kenshin, a bright smile on her face. "Hi!"

He studied her for a moment. She looked as he had remembered, that long braid hanging down her back, her expression one of cheer, and yet…His eyes came to rest on her middle. "M-Misao…you…You're…" He stammered, his face slightly red. Although awkward about such things, it wasn't as if Kenshin had never seen a pregnant woman before. But Misao…He hadn't expected that.

"I'm what? Out with it, Himura!" She stood there, hands on her hips, a rather menacing look on her face. If there was one thing Misao could not stand, it was Kenshin's occasional cluelessness.

He blinked his violet eyes, trying to figure out what he could say that would be least likely to result in a blow to the head. "You're…" A pause, "…Expecting." He finally finished meekly.

"Yeah, you can thank him for that." She said happily, jerking one thumb in Aoshi's direction.

"Oro?" Now Kenshin was even more confused. When had Aoshi and Misao…? Were they married? Last he knew, she had been fixated on the man with the ice blue eyes, but he saw her as little more than a friend or maybe a sister.

For a moment, Aoshi was perplexed by Kenshin's confusion. He had written a letter to the Battôsai, hadn't he? _No wait…That letter never got sent. That was the day…the cat…I never sent it. No wonder he's shocked…I suppose I do have quite a bit of explaining to do._ He sighed. The purpose of that letter had been to keep him from having to vocalize the somewhat long explanation of what had transpired in Kyoto.

"What's all the surprise for, Himura?" Misao simply barged into an explanation, "You think you're the only one who can get married? Where is Kaoru anyway?" She looked around, as if the act of doing so would magically make the master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryuu appear before her.

"Kaoru is inside with her students, that she is." Kenshin finally managed to recover from his shock. He turned to lead them inside and, while doing so, a thought crossed his mind. _Do they know about Kenji? Or will they be equally surprised? I do not believe they know…_He smiled to himself. Today was turning out to be quite the interesting day.

The former hitokiri slid the door to the training room open as quietly as he could. He didn't want to disrupt his wife's lesson if possible. Those days, the dojo was a flurry of activity and Kaoru was fairly busy.

Peering inside, he found her seated on the floor, barking orders at her students. Kenji was settled on her lap, his deep turquoise eyes wide as he watched the students practicing. Noticing Kenshin at the door, Kaoru rose to her feet, the little boy in her arms. "Kenshin, are you done with the laundry? I need you to hold Kenji while I demonstrate something."

"Well, of course, Kaoru…But I really came to tell you that we have visitors, that we do." He took the baby from her and Kenji proceeded to grab a fist full of his father's hair and give it a good yank.

"Visitors?" Kaoru blinked. Who would be visiting them? And why at such an odd time of year, in the middle of April? "Who?"

"Aoshi and Misao have come all this way to see us. Isn't that nice?" He shifted Kenji in his arms so that the child could no longer reach his thick hair.

"Aoshi and Misao?" Another blink, as she received Kenji in her arms once more, "They're here now?" 

"Yes."

"All right then." She turned back to her students, "The rest of class is canceled for today. But don't think this means you can go and goof off. I'll know If you don't practice." This was a stern warning and they all knew she meant it. 

Moments later, Kaoru, Kenji and Yahiko joined the two ninja and Kenshin on the porch. Misao could hardly contain herself. She was grinning from ear to ear and wriggling like an excited puppy. Aoshi laughed to himself at her excitement. She was such a child still.

Yahiko regarded the two Oniwabanshu members. Aoshi looked the same, maybe his face was a little softer, his expression more open, but he had not changed. But Misao…Two years ago, the young samurai would have teased her because she had gotten fat. However, after watching the varying stages of emotion and the violent mood swings Kaoru went through while pregnant with Kenji, he knew enough to keep his mouth shut.

"Kaoru!" Misao exclaimed, "Hi!" She looked at the baby in the other woman's arms. "Ooo…Is that your baby? He's soooo cute! Himura, he looks just like you!" She squealed. 

Kenji did indeed look like his father. He had a fringe of deep red hair falling over his forehead and into his deep eyes. He waved his hands happily, giggling. 

"This is Kenji." Kaoru brushed back the baby's hair, "He's a year old." She smiled.

"Hiii!" Kenji grinned.

"Well hello to you too." Misao grinned back, her eyes shinning. _I hope our baby is this adorable. But how could we not have a cute baby? Look at Aoshi and look at me. Our child will be perfect!_

"Misao, you're going to be having a baby too." Kaoru pointed out as politely as she could. This was somewhat surprising, but she was pleased that Aoshi had finally stopped running from his feelings. 

"Yup. Only a few more months. And I'll be glad when this is over. Aoshi won't let me do anything." She nudged him softly with her elbow, the same teasing grin still on her face.

A trace of a smile flickered across his face. "You know it's for your own good, Itachi."

"I know." She sighed deeply, her voice becoming overdramatic, "But it's so annoying. I just want to be me and you're keeping me from doing that."

"I am sorry." His expression did not change as he regarded her. She had a full pout going, her expression one of those ones that easily made his heart melt. _What did I do right in my life to deserve this? How did I wind up so blessed?_ His hand found its way into hers and her pout turned to a smile once more.

"When did you get married, Misao?" Kaoru asked her. She was curious about how all of this had come about and how they had wound up as husband and wife.

"Not long after my birthday. He gave me this," She pulled her hand from his and brandished the ring, "As a birthday present."

"It's beautiful." The other girl gasped. Aoshi had bought that for Misao? When had he become so romantic? He had always been so stoic and unemotional. She could imagine some highly poetic proposal, some terribly romantic scenario.

"Can I take a bath?" Misao stretched. She was tired of traveling, tired of looking somewhat rumpled and dirty and just plain tired in general. She felt somewhat tense and a bath would help relax her.

"Of course. You must be exhausted after walking all that way. Come with me." Kaoru led the younger woman to the bathhouse, Kenji still babbling away in her arms.

This left the two men and Yahiko standing there. A small frown crossed Kenshin's face. He knew the reason that the two ninja had traveled to Tokyo was not purely one of pleasure. Something had happened in Kyoto and Aoshi had wanted to leave. "Yahiko, I'm sure Aoshi would like some tea after his journey. He and Misao must be hungry. Would you please run down to the Akabeko and get something to eat?"

__

Something is up…So of course he wants me to leave. "All right, Kenshin." He grudgingly agreed. 

Once the boy had left, Kenshin turned to Aoshi. "This is not a social visit, is it, Aoshi?" 

"No, it is not." Aoshi agreed, "I wish it was simply that and I had brought my wife to see you, but there is more to our journey than a reunion with old friends. To tell the truth, I am worried for her safety."

"What has happened in Kyoto?" Kenshin was intrigued by this. Misao could easily hold her own. But then, she was pregnant. That made her vulnerable. If something was going on -something involving the Oniwabanshu- the enemy would easily realize her as a target.

"It's a very long story…" Aoshi sank down on the porch, trying to mentally prepare himself for the regaling of such a lengthy tale.

"Go ahead. I am listening; that I am." Kenshin sat beside him, his violet eyes on Aoshi's face as he patiently waited for the other man to begin.

"Misao's eighteenth birthday began the way any other day would…" He dove right in, telling the story from start to finish. He knew better than to leave any part of it out. As clueless and spacey as Kenshin could sometimes be, a story involving the plight of others would not be lost on him and Aoshi knew it. So he spilled out the tale of Jishin and Misao, the kidnapping, his rescuing her, their marriage, the cat, the poison, the fire. He told it all, right up to the meeting of Saito in the inn.

"That is quite the story." This was troubling. Kenshin frowned as the ninja finished the tale. There was, however, a hint of a smile in his amethyst eyes. Misao had purified Aoshi's soul. The clarity he had sought after their battle, it came in the form of an eighteen-year-old girl. How alike he and Aoshi Shinomori were. "What do you plan on doing about it, Aoshi?"

"I don't know yet. This was the best I could think of at the moment to protect Misao. I am afraid for her and our child." The man confessed. Admitting to his fear took a lot of courage and Kenshin undoubtedly understood this, for the former hitokiri said nothing for a long time.

Finally, he spoke again. "You are welcome to stay here as long as you feel it is necessary. It would not be wise for Misao to be traveling much more for a while, at least not until after the baby is born. Kaoru would be happy to have another woman around, of this I am certain."

Aoshi nodded. It would also please Misao to be with another woman around her own age. She could ask Kaoru questions and get answers about what to expect when it came time that the baby was born and perhaps she would no longer be so nervous. Being around little Kenji would undoubtedly be beneficial for her too. She would get some experience taking care of a baby by staying at the dojo. Then a thought crossed his mind. "Battôsai, is your son hard to take care of?"

This question caused a smile to spread across Kenshin's face. _Aoshi must be worried about how he is going to deal with a child. _He laughed to himself,_ it must have been many years since he was around a baby and now that baby is grown up and having his baby. _The ice man would have only been ten years old when Misao was a baby. He wanted to laugh out loud at this notion, but knew it would hurt Aoshi's pride. "Kenji is very easy to take care of, that he is." He said kindly, "And I'll tell you a secret, Aoshi…"

The ninja stared at Kenshin expectantly. _A secret? What sort of secret? Does he know something I do not?_ The red-head seemed to be taking his question very seriously. He leaned forward ever so slightly, not wanting to miss this helpful secret. "Proceed."

"Misao will do most of the work. And what she doesn't do, Omasu and Okon will. Women love babies, Aoshi. They'll feed the baby, and clean the baby and dress it. You'll hardly ever get to see it. Until…" Here he paused, still trying to keep from laughing.

__

Until? Until what? A small frown crossed Aoshi's face. 

"Until it cries and wakes you up at night. When Kenji was very small, I got very little sleep, that I did. For some odd reason, Kaoru always seems to sleep through his screaming. But you have nothing to worry about. You will be a fine father and Misao will be certain to tell you if you do anything wrong." A sympathetic smile lit his face. There was no doubt in his mind that Misao would be very vocal if Aoshi did something that did not sit well with her.

"I do not even know how to hold a baby." Aoshi blinked his icy eyes, "I don't know how to talk to one or take care of one…"

"You'll learn, just like every other man. It is a great achievement, becoming a father. You'll find all kinds of strength and energy you didn't even know you had." 

Another solemn nod. If the Battôsai could raise a child, why could he? He had taken care of Misao when she was young, hadn't he? _I can do this…_

"Ahhh…I feel so much better now!"

Both men looked up at the sound of Misao's voice. She padded barefoot down the porch, dressed in a bluish-gray kimono with matching obi, her hair long and damp down her back. Kenshin was startled by her appearance. He had never realized Misao was so pretty. Back when he had traveled with her, she had always been dressed in that ridiculous ninja outfit. Of course, he thought Kaoru was a picture of beauty, but Misao was indeed a very pretty girl.

"What have you and Himura been talking about, Aoshi?" She asked, settling herself beside him. She was smiling, her face pink and shiny, framed by that mass of dark hair. A sweet honey scent proceeded her and filled his nose as he looked over at her.

"I was telling him about Jishin." He said slowly.

Her face darkened and she looked away. Aoshi stared at his feet, a glum expression on his face. Misao suffered so much because of that rotten man. _She should be at home, happy and preparing for the baby. She's going to make herself sick with all this worrying…_

"You should both cheer up, that you should." Kenshin said kindly, "You will be safe here, Misao-chan. I would never let any of my friends be harmed, especially not one in a condition such as yours."

Kaoru handed Kenji to Kenshin and sat down on the porch with the other three. "Misao told me about it. That sounds terrible."

"No worse than anything you went through." Aoshi pointed out calmly. He was well aware of all the hardships Kaoru faced simply because of her relationship with Kenshin. In fact, she had faced far worse in his mind. She wasn't quite as tough as his itachi.

Kaoru sighed. Kenji fidgeted in his father's lap and reached for her so she drew him into her arms. Kenshin was kind of staring of into space and Aoshi and Misao looked so solemn they might as well have been ready for a funeral.

It was like this that Yahiko found them upon his return to the dojo. He scowled. Something bad was going on again and he didn't know what. He also had the idea that they weren't about to tell him what was up. "Tell me what's going on!" He demanded. He was sick of not knowing, sick of being out of the loop.

"Misao is in trouble." Kaoru said plainly, not caring to elaborate on the details.

"What did you do this time, Misao?" He looked over at her, blinking his brown eyes.

The young woman stared at him for a moment, then her face crumbled and she burst into tears, burying her face in Aoshi's shoulder. This caused him to frown deeply as he drew him into his arms.

"Good going, Yahiko!" Kaoru would have thrown something at the boy, but she had nothing to throw save for Kenji and she wasn't about to fling her child through the air.

"Misao didn't do anything." Aoshi said coolly. He was stroking her hair as he spoke, trying to stop her tears. He didn't feel like telling the story for a third time, so he just left it at that.

"What's going on then??"  


"I'll tell you later, that I will." Kenshin's voice came low and calm, as if he didn't want to further upset either of the Oniwabanshu.

Misao sniffled. "Will it ever end, Aoshi?" She whispered. She was snuggled up against him, her head on his shoulder. The thought of Jishin sent shivers down her spine. She remembered him kissing her and it made her cry even harder.

"It will end, Itachi." Aoshi smoothed back her damp hair, kissing her forehead. "I promise to keep you safe. I won't let anything hurt you ever again." He wiped away her tears, "So don't cry. Everything will be fine. We'll have a beautiful child and we'll go home and be happy together." She smiled faintly up at him and he hoped to the gods that everything would turn out the way he had said. _It's not a promise, because I cannot promise such a thing. But please, let everything be okay…_

***

*hack wheeze hack* Sorry that update took a while. The internet here is still a little funked up. According to Prof Schaumaffle (I think that's how you spell it… ^^;;;) some tube messed the system up with a virus.

And I think I'm dying now…Hope for your sake the SUCO plague don't kill me till after I'm done with the story…


	19. What Happened?

Warning! This chapter is incredibly long an full of DRAMA!

…But I guarantee you will either enjoy or want to destroy me by the end! ^^v

***

Late May…

Aoshi sat on the porch, enjoying a cup of tea and the solitude of the morning. There was no one around to distract him, no one to disturb the peace which had engulfed him. Kenshin was running an errand, Yahiko was cleaning the dojo while Kaoru oversaw his work and Misao was still asleep. The ninja would have enjoyed remaining in bed, his wife held securely in his arms, but he was truly a morning person and didn't understand how she could sleep so long.

The sky was a perfect shade of blue, filled with puffy clouds which drifted by lazily. It was the kind of morning that could almost make one forget about all of one's troubles.

Almost.

Misao had appeared happier and a lot less anxious since they arrived in Tokyo. Of course, Aoshi knew, she was still under a lot of stress over the situation. The whole issue of Jishin and the fact that he would be waiting back in Kyoto weighed heavy on her mind. 

Staring into his tea cup, he sighed. This whole thing was killing him slowly. He was agonizing over Misao; her health, her mental state, the well-being of the baby. He loved their unborn child fiercely and the thought of something bad happening to it because of the circumstances unnerved him. Constantly in the back of his mind was a voice -a terrible one which he tried to get rid of: _If the baby doesn't make it, there will be others. But there is -and always will be- only one Misao. Protecting her is most important._

He hated this thought. He hated this thought with all of his being. That child was special, damn it, and no other baby could ever replace it, should the worst happen. Yet he could not stop himself from thinking this way.

"Aoshi?" Misao's voice startled him back to reality and he nearly dropped the tea cup. He looked up. She was standing behind him, still wearing what she had slept in, her hair back in a loose braid.

"Yes, Misao?" His heart still stirred every time her name slid off his tongue. It was hard to believe he could possibly love one person so much. There in the morning sunlight, she looked positively radiant.

She smiled. His eyes, which had once been so empty, now gave away his every thought. Presently, they showed concern highlighted by his undying love for her. "Good morning." She sank heavily down beside him; gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Good morning." He looked her over. Her eyes were clear and bright; her expression matched the morning sun. She looked ridiculous with that rounded belly, like a child trying to hide something under her shirt, but he remembered what it was the doctor had told her. 'She was so tiny that she would look farther along than she was, but not to worry because she was perfectly healthy and could handle it, as long as there was no added stress.' _No added stress…_He snorted to himself. It was a little late for that.

"You look serious. What are you thinking about?" She peered at him from under her eyelashes, her gaze dark and questioning.

"You." He replied quietly, "And the baby. And how I don't want anything to happen to either of you."

"Oh Aoshi…Nothing is going to happen to us." She patted her tummy, "We'll be fine. You worry too much."

"Do I?"

"Yes. The baby is perfectly okay. I woke up because he was kicking me." She took one of his hands and placed it over the bulge, "See?"

His expression softened. There was indeed a steady flutter of movement from within her, as if the child were trying to make them aware of its presence. "He's just as feisty as you are, Itachi." He informed her, to which she smiled. He brushed back her hair, his hand lingering on her cheek. "Maybe I'm just worried about you." He drew her face up to his, his lips meeting hers.

A light blush crept across her face. "You're not supposed to carry on over pregnant women, Aoshi." She whispered. She felt fat and ugly, unworthy of his current affections.

"Am I not allowed to show my own wife affection? I love you. I want you to know it." He kissed her again, this time on the forehead, "Now why don't you go get dressed and have some breakfast? I'll wait right here for you."

She nodded, struggling to rise to her feet. The swell in her middle made her movements clumsy and awkward. He watched for a moment, then rose from his seat and offered her his hands. Surprisingly, she accepted his assistance and he helped her up. She smiled, hugging him before she turned to go. "Thank you. I love you too, by the way."

A half smile crossed his face. "As if I didn't know."

Misao hummed to herself as she slid off her yukata and began dressing. Everything had been wonderful since they arrived in Tokyo. The weather was perfect, she and Kaoru had done a lot of catching up and Kenji was positively adorable. She found taking care of the little boy to be good practice for when her baby came along and was no longer quite as nervous as she had been.

She looked down, fingering the pale skin of her swollen belly. A smile crossed her face. "We'll be good to you." She spoke to the child in her womb, "Aoshi will be a sweet papa, and he'll spoil you rotten. I already treasure you more than life itself. You'll never want anything and we'll take such good care of you; I promise."

This vow was met with a swift thump. She rubbed her belly, laughter bubbling up from her heart. "Yes; you're eager to see the world. But you need to spend more time in there. You need to grow and make your mama even fatter, so your papa won't find her attractive any more." She pulled her kimono on, hiding her tummy away under the fabric, "I'm more than ready for you to come out." She fastened a purple obi around her expanding waste, "But the rest of the world doesn't agree with us, so we need to wait."

She yanked the messy braid from her hair and ran a comb through it. Aoshi liked when she left it down long, those long dark tresses rippling like a waterfall down her back. This, however, was not practical for day to day; her hair tended to be a bother when it wasn't secured back in one way or another.

As she fastened the end of her re-braided hair, she heard a thud from somewhere outside. Stepping into her sandals, she slid the door open. Looking around, her gaze came to rest on a piece of paper nailed to the post holding up the overhanging ceiling.

Her eyes widened and her heart began to pound. She slid down to the ground, her hands resting protectively on her stomach. "Aoshi!!"

Aoshi, meanwhile, had just sat back down to wait for his weasel to return, when Kaoru appeared behind him on the porch, Kenji in her arms. "Good morning, Aoshi."

He looked up at her, nodding a greeting.

"Where's Misao? I need her to watch Kenji while I give my lessons." The baby squirmed in her arms, waving his hands and babbling cheerfully.

"She just left to get dressed and have something to eat." He said quietly. This had potential to get interesting. Kenji made him nervous. He wasn't used to being around small children. _If what she says next is…_

"You'll have to take care of him then." 

__

That's what I was expecting. Not wanting to get into a big argument with the tanuki over this, he hesitantly accepted the baby. Kaoru smiled, calling over her shoulder to him as she headed to the training hall. "You'll do fine with him, Aoshi. And it'll be good practice for you."

Good practice.

Right.

He held the Battôsai's son at arms length. Kenji bore a strong resemblance to his father, right down to the vacant smile and the flaming hair. He was indeed an attractive child and there was no doubt in Aoshi's mind that he would grow up to be a fine swordsman. "What am I supposed to do with you now, Kenji-kun?"

The baby studied him intently, his turquoise eyes seeming to take in every feature of the former Okashira's face. Then he burst into a grin. "Ahhhh!" He clapped his hands excitedly.

Aoshi raised his eyebrows, a slow smile lighting his face. _This isn't so bad…I can do this. Until Misao comes back at least. Then she can take over._

"Aoshi!" 

Misao's voice, high-pitched and frightened, startled him and he rose to his feet, tucking Kenji under his arm. _Something is terribly wrong!_

Misao sat huddled on the ground, her face buried in her hands; her body curled around her belly. _Where is Aoshi? Why hasn't he come? Where is he?? I want him. I need him…I can't…He's watching. He's going to hurt me. He's going to hurt my baby. I need my Aoshi here with me…_

"Misao…Misao! What happened to you? Are you all right?" 

She looked up, her eyes wide with fear. "Aoshi…" He was knelt before her, Kenshin's son grasped in one arm, his expression one of great alarm. Tears ran down her face, leaving damp trails on her flushed cheeks.

"Did something happen to the baby? Misao, what's wrong?!" He brushed her bangs back from her face, trying to get a clearer understanding of what happened to her.

"He's going to get me…" Her voice was no more than a hoarse whisper and her chin trembled, dripping tears as she spoke.

Aoshi was perplexed. He had no clue what she meant. She was clearly frightened, but he couldn't help her if he didn't understand of what she was frightened. "Listen carefully. You need to tell me what happened. I'm right here and I'm listening. Nothing will hurt you. Now what on earth is wrong?"

She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. So she merely pointed instead. His gaze followed her finger to where the paper was pinned to the post. _What is that? _He stood up. "I'm just going to look, all right?"

She nodded, watching him. Never in her life had she been more scared. Not with the cat, not with the poison, not even when Jishin had kidnapped her. This…This was different. She had the baby to worry about. If anything happened to her, it would happen to the baby as well. She held her stomach protectively. It felt tight; the baby was restless. That made her nervous.

Aoshi's eyes widened as his gaze swept over the paper. **_Every breath you take, every move you make, I'll be watching you. Can't you see? You belong to me…_**He felt anger rising up within him. Jishin had followed them all the way to Tokyo. _How dare that man do something like this? He'll pay for everything he's done. Next time we cross paths, only one of us will walk away alive…_

__

But right now…

"Misao." She looked terrible. She was sweating, clutching her belly. "Misao, are you okay?"

"No…Something is wrong…" She looked up, her face pale and tear-streaked, her eyes wide with fear.

The baby…Something truly was wrong with the baby this time. She wouldn't have been so terrified otherwise. It was too early. The baby couldn't survive. It would die! "I don't want to leave you," He kissed her cheek, "But I have to. I need to get Kaoru. You be brave and hold on a little longer, Itachi. I love you; you'll be okay. I'll be right back."

"Aoshi." _The baby is going to die…_Fresh tears trickled down her cheeks, _It's my fault, for not being stronger. If I weren't so weak…I have failed them both. Our child will die and Aoshi will hate me._ She was huddled in a lump on the ground, trying to make the pain go away.

Aoshi burst into the training hall, disrupting Kaoru's lesson. The master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu was angry for a moment, then she noticed the look on Aoshi's face. "What's wrong?"

"Misao needs a doctor. Take Kenji," He practically threw her son into her arms, "And go find some one to help her. I can't leave her alone. She needs me." He turned to sweep back out of the room, but Kaoru caught him by the arm.

"What happened, Aoshi?" He was extremely distraught and Kaoru was extremely confused.

"I don't have time to explain. You need to hurry and get a doctor. I don't want our baby to die."

"Aoshi…" She turned back to dismiss the class as the ninja ran back out of the room. Then she high-tailed it out of the training hall to get help.

"Misao…Itachi; everything is going to be fine." Aoshi scooped his wife into his arms, "I love you. You're so brave. Kaoru's going to get her friend. She'll take care of you. You'll be okay." He stroked her cheek, holding her close to his chest, "You need to calm down."

"But it hurts…" She whimpered.

"I know. I know it hurts. The doctor will make the pain stop."

"…It's too early…The baby will be too small…He won't make it…"

"Shh…It'll be okay. The baby will be fine." He wasn't sure what else he could say to her. He didn't know what she needed to hear or how to make her feel better. _Will the baby make it? _His mind was racing, _It was November…It's almost June now. Seven months…Is that enough time?_

"Where is she? What's wrong with her?"

"I don't know…"

Two female voices -one Kaoru, the other vaguely familiar- drifted across the yard. Aoshi felt a little better at this, as if the situation didn't seem quite as hopeless. He moved towards the sound of their voices, Misao still in his arms.

Rounding a corner, the man came face to face with Megumi Takani. _No wonder I recognized that voice…I haven't seen her since Shishio, but I'm sure she still remembers Kanryu. None of that matters now…Helping Misao is all that's important. _"Help her." He pleaded pathetically, "Don't let our baby die." 

"Oh, Misao…" Kaoru looked aghast. The young ninja was white as a sheet, her hair matted to her forehead with sweat. She looked terrible.

"What happened to her, Shinomori?" Megumi blinked her dark eyes, assessing the situation as she spoke. She saw no blood. That was a good thing, "Kaoru explained part of your problem back in Kyoto to me, but she didn't know what was going on."

Aoshi explained breathlessly, trying his best to make Megumi understand that something was very wrong. Misao was whimpering in his arms the whole time; he could feel her whole body shudder ever time a contraction struck her.

"Take her inside and make her comfortable. Then I want to talk to you."

Aoshi nodded. Then he took Misao back into their room, Kaoru trailing behind him. He settled her down on the futon, making her as comfortable as possible. She was in pain and it was making him miserable. "I have to go back outside and talk to Megumi. Do you think you'll be all right here with Kaoru?" He asked her quietly.

"Don't leave me!" She begged, her eyes wide with terror. Her fingers trembled as she clutched his sleeve; her eyes welled with fresh tears. There seemed to be no end to her fright and she was so damn pitiful.

"I'm sorry, but I must." He kissed her forehead softly, "Be my brave, strong girl and I'll return as soon as possible."

It was with a heavy heart that Aoshi left the room, Misao huddled on the floor and pleading with him not to go. He slid the door shut behind him, his eyes on the ground. This was not good. Not good at all.

"How far along is she?" Megumi's voice broke through the ninja's cloudy thoughts. He looked up. The kitsune appeared very troubled. She was thinking, trying to judge for herself when Misao could possibly be due. Her stomach had seemed huge, but then, she was a petite girl, even smaller than Kaoru.

"Seven months." Aoshi sounded old and tired, "It's only been seven months since I did that to her. She was so innocent and inexperienced…It's all my fault." He buried his head in his hands.

"Look, I'll be honest with you because you turned out to be an okay guy in the end. I don't think she would have made it much farther anyway without the added stress of that slime ball. She's so small that her body just can't handle all the extra weight anyway. If she lasted another month, you would have been lucky. But the situation's not totally hopeless. Babies born just as early have survived before. The both of you have a lot of stamina and I can imagine your child just as stubborn. It'll come out fighting."

"Thank you." He looked up, slightly more composed than before. If Megumi said it wasn't hopeless, there was a chance…

"You're welcome." She smiled determinedly, "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a baby to deliver."

Megumi would not allow Aoshi back into the room. "This," She informed him, "Is no place for a man. You wait out here. Misao will be fine. I promise I won't let anything happen to her." So he paced back and forth, fretting over what was happening. 

There seemed to be a lot of ranting and raving and screaming on Misao's behalf. Aoshi would periodically hear his name followed by a string of curses, then Misao arguing with either Megumi or Kaoru, then "I can't; I can't; I CAN'T!!" and he wanted to rush right in to her side.

But stay on the porch he was told and stay on the porch he must. Kaoru appeared outside at one point, handing him Kenji. He wanted to ask her if everything was okay, but she didn't give him a chance.

The rest of the day was a blur. Kaoru went running in and out periodically, hurrying to fetch things Megumi requested. There wasn't much Aoshi could do, so he slumped down to the ground, Kenji asleep on his lap. All of his thoughts and prayers were simple: _Let them be okay._

Finally, Megumi herself appeared in the door. She looked weary, her hair falling loose around her face. "For a moment, I thought I was going to lose her." She sighed, "The cord was wrapped around her neck and she was quite blue, but she's okay."

"She?" Aoshi rose shakily to his feet, Kenji still in his arms, "We had a girl? And she's all right?"

The foxy doctor nodded. "She's very small -although bigger than I expected- but she seemed to be breathing all right and crying a little bit too. It's too soon to tell, but I think she'll be just fine."

"And Misao?" He was relieved that the baby was okay, but if anything had happened to Misao…

"She did wonderfully, once I convinced her there was no way I could stop her labor. That was quite the strain on her body, but with a little rest she'll be back on her feet and arguing with you in no time."

"Can…Can I see them?" He asked timidly. He wanted to make sure for himself that both were okay. He wanted to see the child he had created. He was suddenly very curious. Whom did she look like? What color were her eyes? Did she have his hair? Or Misao's? Undoubtedly, she would be a very pretty baby.

"Of course you can." Megumi smiled, "Nothing would make Misao happier than having you in there with her."

He cautiously entered the room and, without a word, handed the tanuki her slumbering son. Then he sank to the floor beside his wife. She was laying there, propped up on several pillows, a trace of a smile on her face. The baby lay across her chest, tiny and pink, a fringe of dark hair falling across her forehead. 

Misao looked sleepily up at him, her smile growing a little. "Isn't she beautiful?" Her voice came very soft, "Isn't she the most beautiful child?" She yawned.

"Very beautiful, Itachi. But she has a beautiful mother, so there's no surprise in that. I am very proud of you. Megumi said you worked very hard. You did it."

"We did it, Aoshi." Her gaze dropped back down to their tiny daughter, "She's yours too."

He smiled, brushing back her hair. "You did all the hard work, Itachi. I can't take credit for that."

"Did Megumi-san tell you," Her eyes closed and she sighed deeply, "That she almost died? She was moving so much today that she got the cord wrapped around her neck and she nearly strangled herself. She looked like blue death, Aoshi…" She opened her eyes again and he could see they were full of tears.

"Yes; she told me." He nodded seriously, "But she also told me our daughter should be just fine. She's a fighter and she will never give up hope, just like her mama."

"Oh, Aoshi…" Another yawn escaped her lips, "I do love you."

He leaned over, kissing her softly. "As I love you. Now get some rest. You worked very hard today."

He took the baby gently after Misao fell asleep, cradling her in his arms. She was so tiny; so fragile, but she was indeed a beautiful child. He touched her feathery hair, examined her fingers and toes. _She looked like blue death_…Blue…Aoi…Aoi-chan. He smiled to himself. _That has a nice ring to it: Aoi Shinomori. Yes; that is a very good name…_He leaned back against the wall, the baby held carefully in his arms. _We are so lucky…_

***

Feh. I'm not too crazy about the way I ended this chapter, but I wasn't sure what else to do with it. Any way, I hope no one hates me too much. This was actually sort of Tarah's idea, so blame her! *shoves Tarah in front of self*

Tarah: *confused* Oro???


	20. One Can Hope

Eep! Finally, an update! I wish it didn't take me so long…But I was having slight writer's block and I started a new ficcy called "Serendipity." Gomen *bows*

Anyway, this should be wrapping up soon. Maybe 2 or 3 more chapters, counting this one, and an epilogue. Oh, and guess what! I talked to the Kenshin look-alike! His name is Jeff (Just like in the dream I had O_O;;)

***

"Aoi seems to be the picture of health. I watched her for a full week and she's perfectly fine; no colds, no illnesses at all, no breathing problems. She's eating well and she cries, just like any other newborn. She's just small, but that's nothing to worry about."

Megumi smiled as she finished her report of the tiny baby's progress. Little Aoi was remarkably healthy; she'd shown no signs of any of the usual problems that came with a premature birth. The kitsune had been checking on her periodically in the week since she'd been born and had given a good report every time.

Misao smiled broadly, her daughter cuddled in her arms. Aoshi looked down at them, the faintest trace of a smile on his face. _She doesn't look so small when Misao holds her…But then, Misao is also so petite. Although none of that matters. I'm just relieved that they're both okay._

Misao had made a quick recovery and was back to her usual optimistic self after a second day, saying that "if her baby survived one ordeal, she could survive another." Aoi would live, and grow, and be happy, and no one could tell Misao otherwise.

"Thank you, Megumi-san." The weasel said brightly, "Thanks for everything. I was scared out of my mind. I thought I would lose her." She held the baby close to her heart; her smile soft, her eyes shining with happiness.

"You're welcome. But that's just what I do. Now I've got to be on my way. I have some more patients to see." The other woman smiled, patting Aoi on the head, "You'll be fine, Kid."

After Megumi left, Misao turned to Aoshi. "Why so quiet?" She asked curiously, shifting the baby in her arms. He had seemed particularly mute all week, hovering around the two of them, but never saying much.

"I love you, Misao. I love Aoi too. I have been worried about you both." He lightly touched the baby's feathery hair, his fingers running across her brow. He smiled faintly when Aoi turned her deep blue eyes to his face. 

"We're fine, Aoshi." She smiled, handing the little girl to her papa. He took the baby, holding her carefully in his arms as if afraid she would break. She watched him carefully, knowing a real smile would soon grace his face. Aoi was a joy to him and she loved to see him smile.

The baby snuggled up on his shoulder, breathing a deep sigh. She had turned out to look a lot like him, with icy blue eyes and very dark hair. Her expression was quizzical, her cry lusty and her energy boundless. Already she was keeping them up at night, screaming at the most inopportune times. And Kenshin was right. Misao conveniently slept through it most of the time.

But pressing more on his mind was the matter of Jishin. Over the course of the week, he had gone out searching for the deranged man several times, all to no avail. That rich little skunk had gotten good at hiding himself away and that made Aoshi nervous.

"You're not really that worried about us, are you? It's Jishin that's making you so upset. You think he's going to hurt one of us, don't you?" She paused, "I worry about that too. I wouldn't be able to stand it if something happened to Aoi and I dread the idea of her without a mother or father."

He smoothed back her hair with his free hand. "Nothing will happen to either of us or Aoi, Itachi. I would kill him before he could lay a finger on you. And if he even comes within a hundred feet of Aoi, he'll be dead ten times over before he hit's the ground."

"Aoshi…Do you have to kill him? I hate the thought of you killing him. It's not his fault he went crazy." She frowned, staring at her feet.

"I don't want to, but I see no other way to stop him. Something needs to be done." He sighed, patting Aoi on the back. She fussed a little, burying her face in his shoulder, and he looked down at her. "We need to move forwards in our lives; to be a family with our Aoi-chan. But we can't do that with him skulking in the darkness. He'll be a threat until he's dead."

"I understand." She looked up, her face darkened by concern. I just want to be happy…And not have to worry about things like that. I want us to be free from worries. But it's sad that he'll have to die for us to be happy.

"Don't frown like that." His hand brushed across her cheek, he bent over to kiss her, "It's very unbecoming of you."

She blushed. His affection at times could still fluster her, especially then when she felt so out of shape. Her tummy was still soft and her chest had filled out; she didn't feel a thing like herself.

But she readily accepted his kiss, her eyes shutting as she craned her neck upwards. The baby made a little mewling sound, ruining their moment, then began to cry.

"She must be hungry." Reluctantly, Misao drew back from his embrace, taking the tiny baby in her arms. She rubbed Aoi's cheek, causing the little girl to turn towards her. "Are you hungry, my little Aoi-chan?"

Aoshi watched the interaction between mother and daughter; the tender moment between his wife and child. He felt his heart swell with love for them both, but his expression remained the same; cool and collected. "I'm going to go out for a little while, Itachi. You and Aoi stay here, please. If you need anything, tell Kaoru or Kenshin. It's not safe for you and Aoi to be out in the city."  


"Yes, Dear." She said teasingly, looking up from the baby. She loved how he fretted over her, constantly worrying about her. It just proved how much he loved her. "Kiss me before you go?"

He half smiled, kissing her gently on the lips. "Ai shiteru, Itachi." He ran a hand over Aoi's hair, but the baby was too busy nursing to pay attention. "You too, Aka-chan. I'll be back later."

Misao smiled at him, but when he left the room, her smile became a frown. _He's going to look for Jishin again…_She looked back down at Aoi. "I just wish this would all end, Aka-chan." She sighed, "I don't look forward to telling you about why you were born so early when you're older."

The baby drifted off after she had eaten and Misao rose to her feet. "Well, I might as well go get some fresh air. No point in staying inside all day. I wonder what Himura is up to…"

Aoshi was systematically checking every inn in the city of Tokyo for any clue to the whereabouts of Jishin Kanemochi. It was a pain, but he had to visit each one, ask if any one had seen a man bearing the description of "a pretty-boy, with thin chestnut hair and emerald eyes. He's a touch off-balance and it shows; he gets a really odd smile when he's scheming something."

He had no luck to date.

Also, he stopped in at restaurants. The skunk had to eat at some point and one of the waitresses might have remembered him.

No one did. It was as if the man didn't exist. How could he possibly have gotten so good at being untraceable? Where had he learned such stealth? Aoshi was getting more and more annoyed; his patience was wearing thin.

__

Where could he be? He must be here somewhere…I want to kill that man…I swear I will destroy him. After all the trouble he's put us through…Our innocent little child could have died because of him. He despises the both of us enough to try and destroy our happiness by killing the baby and expects nothing to come of it. If Aoi had died because of him…If anything had happened to Misao…

He pushed those dark thoughts from his mind and instead focused on the task at hand. _I must find him no matter what the cost…_

"Looking for me, Shinomori?"

Cold, cruel and taunting; there came Jishin's voice behind the former Okashira of the Oniwabanshu. He sounded almost singsong, as if he were a little child who had done something naughty.

Aoshi turned slowly to face him. The young heir was leaned against a building, his chestnut hair falling lightly over his forehead and into his emerald eyes. "Pity the baby survived. I was looking forward to seeing you in mourning."

"You disgust me." He could feel his throat constricting; his entire being burned with hatred. "You don't deserve to live. I should kill you now." He was quivering with rage; all he wanted to do was destroy the heir.

"But you won't, will you?" The other man smirked, "You won't kill me. It's just not going to happen. You don't want to." He could see it in Aoshi's eyes. There was no desire for bloodshed; no death-glare.

"That's right. I don't. But I will if I have to. I won't allow you to torment my family. Misao has suffered enough." He took a step forward, closing the gap between them.

"And how is little Aoi-chan today?" Kenshin finished hanging the laundry and turned to Misao and Aoi. He was smiling, the same cheerful rurôni as always. Kenji sat at his feet, tugging on the hem of his father's hakama. 

"She's fine, Himura. Just had her breakfast and now she's asleep." The young ninja smiled, shifting the baby in her arms.

"And how are you, Misao-chan?" The former hitokiri asked gently. He knew Misao hated to be bothered about her own well-being; she got that from Aoshi enough. But he still worried about her. Not matter how tough she seemed, as he had told Aoshi two years before, she was still very young.

"I am a little worried…" She frowned lightly, "I don't want to think about what will happen if he…well…you know. But Aoshi says he won't let anything else happen. He's trying so hard to protect us, Himura. I think I'm more worried about him than anything else."

"Aoshi can take care of himself, Misao-chan, that he can. I know you worry about him the same way Kaoru worries about me." He smiled, lifting Kenji into his arms, "I suppose everybody worries about the person they love. But things will work out. You'll see." He paused, removing Kenji's fingers from his hair, "Aoshi will take care of everything. He loves you so."

"Yes. I believe in him. But I just want everything to be over. I want things back to normal." Aoi was asleep on her shoulder and she rubbed the baby's back, "I know things won't ever really be the way they were, but I can dream, can't I?"

Kenshin said nothing, simply smiled reassuringly. He understood that she was asking the question more of herself than anything else. _Yes, Misao, dream. There is hope still that everything works out fine. As long as one lives, one can hope_.

***

Ah, really short chapter. Gomen 'bout that. Like I said, this is winding down. The final confrontation with Jishin will occur next chapter. 

I talked to Jeff again this afternoon. No more stalking for me! I can say hi to him now!! ^_^x


	21. The Beginning of the End

Chaa…I realized something. Compared to some of my earlier chapters, 20 wasn't THAT short. So get off my case!! Like my previous fight scene, this one will probably be rather stupid, but oh well. The focus of this fic is the ROMANCE not the fighting. 

Enjoy. His death will come soon. Aku soku zan…

***

"You won't kill me. You don't have the guts." Jishin's voice remained singsong as he spoke to the ninja, "After two years, you don't want to kill."

Aoshi stared at him, his gaze cold and hard. "For my wife and my daughter's happiness, I would do anything," He flipped back his trench coat, revealing the dormant pair of kodachi, "Even kill you." He unsheathed one of the swords, his pulse quickening at the familiar feel of the hilt in his hand.

"Your wife! _Your _wife?!" Jishin screeched, "She should be _my _wife. You stole her from me!"

Aoshi's eyes widened in disbelief. How could he say such a thing? Misao had been his friend for as long as he could remember. Jishin was the one trying to take her away. "How dare you? How dare you say such a thing? Misao belongs to no one. She is free to make her own choices and she chose me." He moved towards the heir, his kodachi ready and at hand. "She'd rather be with me than you and you could never change that."

"She doesn't want you! You took her from me! Why would she choose you over me? Why would she-"

"Shut up!" The ex-Okashira's fist connected with Jishin's jaw, "Just shut your mouth." He drew the sword up; it was dangerously close to the insane young man's throat. "One more word, Kanemochi, and you die."

"Kill me then. I dare you to. Kill me."

Aoshi hesitated. He didn't particularly want to kill Jishin -Misao would be angry with him for doing so. She still saw something in him of the little boy he had once been. She was forgiving and merciful where he was not. But at that point, it was a necessity.

"What are you waiting for, Shinomori?" A deranged cackle let loose from his lips. He was laughing, tears in his deep emerald eyes, "Slit my throat. Go home to your infant daughter stained in blood. Wouldn't that be nice?"

"I do believe it would be nicer if you rotted in prison and disgraced your family's good name. You would suffer more that way, you bastard."

"I'd rather not go to jail. You know, if you don't kill me, I'll keep coming back. It's so much fun, making my Misao-chan cry. If I can't be happy with her, no one can." He giggled like a school girl, causing Aoshi's spine to tingle and the hair on the back of his neck to rise.

"You damn lunatic! I never want to hear you speak of my wife like that again. I love Misao. I love her more than you could ever understand love and I'll be damned if anything more happens to her! She doesn't deserve any of the hell you've put her through." A vein in his neck throbbed and his fist clenched around the handle of the kodachi.

"So kill me then! Let it weigh heavy on your soul! I know all about you; how you went mad and wanted to kill Himura the Battôsai. You spent two years trying to repent for your sins. If you kill me, how long will it take for you to cleanse your soul again?"

"Stop trying to intimidate me." Another slap across the face, "It is not going to work. You need to grow up, little boy, and learn some respect."  
  
"Just kill me! Don't lecture me like my father! Because of you and what you did to my house, that man disowned me! I was beaten by Kanawashi for not paying off my debt! I went home and was thrown out! All because you finally decided to pay attention to the girl I loved since I was sixteen."

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?" Aoshi blinked, his icy eyes never leaving the other man's face, "Am I supposed to pity a worthless being like you? I see no reason to. You ruined things for yourself. You didn't have to gamble. You didn't have to kidnap Misao. But now, because you made the wrong choices, you must pay…"

__

I don't want to kill him. I don't want that on my conscience. I don't want Aoi to have a murderer for a father. He may be the one who's trying to destroy our fragile happiness, but he should not die for it. One does not control their level of sanity…If I can knock him out, I can get him to the police. They can deal with him.

The ninja took a step forward, the kodachi pointed menacingly at Jishin's stomach. "Come quietly and I won't have to hurt you."

"I have no intention of going quietly." He grabbed the blade of the kodachi in both hands and -catching Aoshi off guard- pulled it forward and plunged it through his own abdomen.

Misao sat watching as Kenshin held Kenji by the hands and toddled him around the yard. She stroked Aoi's cheek absently, her mind a jumble of thoughts. _Aoshi…please come back okay…I want you to be the one to walk our daughter around like that. I want her to love and cherish you; to look up to you as I did. Please don't kill him…_

"Misao-chan, are you okay? You have the most peculiar look on your face." Kenshin picked up his son -much to Kenji's protest- and sat down beside her. He was concerned; she hadn't been herself all day. He was well aware of where Aoshi had gone, but he didn't understand quite why it upset Misao so much. Aoshi had done the same thing every day for the past week.

"Himura…I'm really worried." Aoi was laid across her lap; looking up at her mama through those eyes so much like Aoshi's. She rubbed the baby's tummy and one of Aoi's tiny hands curled around her finger. A faint smile crossed her face. _Aoi, I promise your papa and I will take such good care of you. You bring us joy amidst all of this suffering and pain._

"Why are you worried?" The former hitokiri asked softly. He pulled Kenji into his lap and the little boy frowned up at him. He was being very patient with Misao; knowing she was not one for opening up about things so serious as this.

"Because…" She paused, trying to figure out just how to word this. She chewed on her lip, her mind wandering in a thousand different directions. Aoi made a small snuffling noise, then began to cry. "Don't cry, Aoi…" She lifted the baby to her shoulder and she buried her face in the silk of her mother's kimono, "Don't cry. Papa will come home safe and sound."

"Is that what is bothering you? You're worried about Aoshi and Jishin, that you are." He sat his son firmly in his lap, as the little boy had been climbing up over his shoulder in an attempt to escape.

"Yes." She admitted softly, "I'm worried that he won't come home safe. That he'll kill Jishin and get into trouble for it. I know my Aoshi is a strong man and he can take care of himself. But I need him and Aoi needs him to take care of her." Her eyes welled with tears and she quickly brushed them away, "He would think I'm being foolish, worrying over him so much."

"No, I don't think so." Kenshin smiled gently, "I think Aoshi would understand. He worries over you, after all. I think he would realize that you worry because you love him. Aoshi is a smart man, Misao. He knows you worry about him every time he is out of your sight; that he does."

"Himura…" She looked over at him, her blue eyes wet with tears, "How is it that you understand? You always know what to say…" She held the baby to her chest, bowed over her, her long, dark hair falling around the both of them.

His smile softened, "I make Kaoru worry the same way. Aoshi would do anything for you, he loves you so much. I'm sure that where ever he is, what ever he's doing, he's thinking of you. I have never seen a man so in love with a woman as he is with you. That's why you worry. You cherish him just as deeply."

"I…I…I just want us to be happy!" She burst into tears, her shoulders shaking. "I want us to be able to go back home -with Aoi- and be happy as a family. I miss the Aoiya and Gramps and everybody. I hate Jishin and I'm sorry I was ever friends with him." Her tears fell hot and fast, running down her cheeks and into Aoi's hair.

Kenshin let her cry. He knew from experiences with Kaoru that women felt better if they let all their tears out. He pitied her, however, frightened and away from the home she loved so dearly; the people she looked up to. Aoi should have been born on time, in Kyoto, and both her parents should have been content. _I hope for all of their sakes that Aoshi ends this today…_

Jishin's hands tightened around the sword as he pushed the blade farther into his stomach. Blood trickled between his fingers from where the cold steel met the warm flesh of his palms. He cackled madly; his eyes wide, pupils constricting. "So this is death." A queer smile crossed his pretty face.

Aoshi gaped at the deranged young man for moment. _What the hell is he doing? Don't tell me he wanted to die? He just…_With a startled grunt, he yanked the kodachi back. It was too late. His reaction had been too slow. Blood was already gushing from Jishin's midsection. "You fool!" 

He threw down the bloody sword and caught the man as he pitch forward. "You're a damned idiot, Kanemochi. It didn't have to end like this. I would have gone easy on you. I would not have entirely destroyed what little of a life you have left."

"I'll…" Groaning, the wounded man jerked back from Aoshi's grasp. Blood spurted from his mouth and ran down his chin. "I'll see you…in hell, Shinomori…" _This is it…The final act of revenge. He's covered in my blood. His sword is smeared with blood. She'll hate him for killing me. She's so stubborn….She won't believe he didn't do it…Wonderful…revenge…_Everything was going black. He closed his eyes, welcoming the coming death.

"C'mon, Kenji! You can do it!"

It was early evening. Yahiko and Kaoru had joined Misao and Kenshin in the yard, and presently the two males were trying to get Kenji to walk on his own. The little boy was standing unsteadily in the grass, looking between his father and his friend, his eyes wide.

Kenshin held out his hands to the toddler. "Come to Papa, Kenji. Show Mama that you can do it."

Kenji looked squarely at the man, a frown on his face. He took one shaky, hesitant step, then another in the direction of his father. His frown deepened, as if he were concentrating hard on what he was doing. Then he continued to stumble forward, running in that lilting gait of small children, until he fell triumphantly into Kenshin's waiting arms.

"I knew you could do it. We're very proud of you, that we are." 

Kaoru rose from her seat, running over to her two boys. "Kenji!" She took the grinning boy from his father and hugged him to her, "Good job!" She kissed his cheek, "I'm so proud."

A wistful smile crossed Misao's face. _The Himuras are so happy…_She was seated in the grass, Aoi sleeping once more in her lap. The baby made a little mewling noise and she looked down. That's how I want to be. I know Aoshi will never be as outgoing as Himura…But we can be happy. We can-

"Oh!" 

Kaoru's startled gasp brought the young woman back to reality. She looked up from Aoi, her cerulean eyes widening when her gaze came to rest on Aoshi.

He stood at the front gate, illuminated by the setting sun. He was soaked in blood; it was spattered across his shirt, his pants, his face and hands. The expression on his face was a dazed one, as if he wasn't quite sure how he had gotten back to the dojo or what happened while he was gone.

For a dreadful moment, every one simply stared at him. _The must think I'm wounded…They must think we fought. Misao…What will she think of me?_

Misao rose like a ghost to her feet. She walked as if in a trance, staring at him, her blue eyes locked in his. Stopping only to hand the slumbering Aoi to Kenshin, she made her way across the yard. Only after depositing the baby did she gain any momentum.

She ran to him, throwing her arms around him. "Aoshi!" She began to cry. _I don't care if he's soaked in blood. He came back on his own. That means even if he's injured he's not going to die… _"Oh Aoshi! I was so worried about you!" She hugged him tightly, "I was so scared…"

He hugged her back, his strong arms around her in a tight embrace. "Itachi…" He whispered, his face buried in her unbound hair, "I'm sorry. I killed him…"

***

How's THAT for a place to stop??

My fight isn't that terrible. Hell, it's not even a fight. I'm kind of eager to finish this so I can concentrate on Serendipity. I'm really digging that fic and glad it has so many reviews. I would like to broaden the reader base, but I can't get greedy now, can I?

I hope you enjoy the last few chapters of this. I may be taking requests for a sequel if any one gives a suggestion that catches my fancy. So get out your thinking caps!!!


	22. Happiness Runs

I was asked what "itachi" means. So I'll tell ya. This is the Japanese word for "weasel." I just think it's a cute endearment for Aoshi to call Misao…^.^

Wheee! New friend! Hilary rocks my socks! XD So long, Lisa!!! Anime friends over all others any day!!! There's a whole POSSE of us here! Hilary and Jeff were only the beginning…Rock on, SUCO anime fans!! ^_^v

***

"I don't care." Misao's voice was a quiet whisper, "I don't care what you did. I love you, Aoshi Shinomori, and I will love you no matter what." Her arms were around his waist, her face pressed up against his chest. "And I know it's not what you wanted. I know you didn't want to do it."

"You don't care?" He hugged her tighter, practically crushing her in his arms. If ever there was a time he needed her faith and love, it was then. _I'm so blessed to have a woman like her…She cares about what I do; it upsets her, but doesn't ever leave me for it. Oh, I do love her. I love how she wants to share every little bit of everything with me_…"Why wouldn't you care?"

"Because I know if you killed him it was the only choice you had left. I believe in you. I know you wouldn't have just done it for no reason. I know…" Her voice wavered, "He gave you no other choice…"

"Itachi…" He sounded so weary, "Itachi, don't cry. I didn't want to kill him. But I couldn't help it. He grabbed the blade…There was no way to stop him…"

"Wait, Aoshi, what exactly happened?" The way he spoke of it…A glimmer of hope filled her heart. Perhaps it was all just a misunderstanding of some sort…"Tell me…What happened, Aoshi?"

His face still buried in her hair, he began to explain how he confronted the young man with two options, prison or death. How Jishin refused to go along and pay for what he did. "…He died in my arms, Itachi." The ninja's voice cracked and Misao could feel his whole body shaking as he held her.

"Aoshi…You didn't kill him. He did it to himself. It's not your fault." He was falling apart. She wondered if he was crying. _I hurt for him…He's suffering so much over this. It's all my fault…_

"Maybe it didn't even happen like that. Maybe I just don't want to believe that I took another life again." He said dully.

"Don't say that, Aoshi." She strained to reach up, her arms around his neck, her cheek rested against his. "Please…You didn't kill him."

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Itachi. I didn't want to come home like this. I didn't want Aoi to see her father covered in blood."

"Oh…She's too small to know what's going on. She won't ever remember this. Aoshi, we're free now. We can go home and be happy." She smiled weakly, tears running from her eyes and streaking down her cheeks.

"Yes…Once we take care of things here with Jishin, we can go home. We've made it through another crisis. All three of us are okay. Things certainly didn't turn out the way I would have wanted, but it's all over now. No more being afraid." He held her tightly, lifting her off the ground, his face pressed up against hers. "I love you. I did all of this for you."

She dangled there in his embrace, tears still pouring from her eyes. "Thank you…" She choked out, "Thank you for loving me so much." _I'm so relieved…I wish it didn't have to end like this, but I am so relieved…._

Kenshin, Kaoru and Yahiko stood in the yard, taking in this whole scene. The former hitokiri held Aoi carefully in his arms, taking in the tenderness unfolding around them. Kaoru was at his side, Kenji standing unsteadily and clinging to her kimono. Yahiko was watching and trying to make it look like he wasn't watching, but he was extremely curious about the whole thing.

Aoshi was holding Misao and she had her arms around his neck. Their faces were pressed together, their lips meeting in a kiss. It seemed as if they were desperate for one another, as if they were being consumed by their feelings.

"We should leave them alone, that we should." Kenshin said softly, "This has been a very trying time for both of them. They need some time, just the two of them together."

"Right." Kaoru nodded, "I can take care of Aoi for a while. Aoshi is a mess, both emotionally and physically. And there's nothing Misao will want to do more than take care of him." A sad smile crossed her face, "I'm sure I can find some chores to keep the both of you busy."

"Aoshi…" One of Misao's small hands ran across his cheek, "Aoshi, let's go get you cleaned up. Come on, you need a bath. You're covered in blood. I've been crying all over you. We're both a terrible mess."

He kissed her furiously, not yet ready to release her from his arms. _I just want to stand here with her forever right now. I don't want to move. She is my redemption, my saving grace. All I need right now is in my arms…_

"Aoshi, please. Kissing me will be so much better when you're nice and clean." She couldn't stand seeing him covered in Jishin's blood, "I'll draw the bath for you, warm the way you like it."

"You'll stay with me?" While his voice was quiet and passive, his eyes held a pleading light. It was almost as if his icy eyes were begging her not to leave him alone; as if he couldn't handle being on his own.

"I'll stay with you for eternity." She clung to him tighter, knowing he was very upset about the whole situation. This had been the ultimate test of their love and they had managed to survive. "If this couldn't tear us apart, nothing can."

His mouth found hers again as they moved as one towards the bathhouse. She still dangled from his arms, and seemed very content like this. It was with reluctance that she slid from his grasp to draw the bath.

He watched as she flitted around, filling the tub, heating the water. At one point, she called over her shoulder for him to take off his clothes so they could be washed. He stripped down, leaving the blood-soaked clothing in a pile on the floor.

She scampered back into the room, pausing at the sight of him there in all his natural splendor. She drew in a breath, having forgotten how wonderful he looked like that. He had a towel around his waist, but other than that, he was completely bare.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked quietly. His arms were streaked with dried blood. It had soaked through the front of his shirt when he'd attempted to save the man's life. _She must think so badly of me…_

"It's been a long time…" She said softly, "With everything going on, me being pregnant and all. Now there's Aoi…We haven't been alone together in so long." She paused, "I mean really _together_."

A slight smile crossed his face. "You want to join me, Itachi?" He offered her one hand, beckoning her to him.

She blushed, shaking her head slightly. She didn't want him to see her when she felt so ugly and fat still. 

He looked at her oddly. "What's wrong? Why are you blushing? We've been together many times. You've never been shy about it before."

"I haven't been getting enough exercise lately. I'm out of shape. I don't want you to see me like this." She folded her arms across her chest, trying to hide herself from him. Even wrapped up in several layers of clothing, she felt she could then see her then shapely figure.

"Itachi…" His smile returned, "I've told you before. You will always be beautiful to me. Now come here. I want to hold you in my arms and show you how much I love you." He held out his hand to her again and this time she went to him.

Motherhood had made her even more beautiful. He explored her a second time, rediscovering everything about her, as they soaked in the bath together. While she was still small and lithe with that childish air to her, she had blossomed into a work of art; her body curved in all the right places. 

She leaned back against him, her head on his shoulder. He had an arm around her and her hair pooled about them both as it floated on the water, a swirling blue-black mass. He kissed her softly, his mouth roaming down towards her neck.

She smiled, reaching up to pull him closer to her. It had been a very long time since he was so affectionate. He'd been cautious with her while she was pregnant and the past week had been consumed with Aoi. She'd missed just being with him, having him pleasure her. "Thank you for keeping me safe." She whispered, "I love you so much."

"Of course I'll keep you safe, Itachi." He whispered back, "I would never let anything happen to you. I love you more than anything in the world. You're my saving grace, my wife and the beautiful mother of my child. I would protect you with my life."

"Oh Aoshi…" She twisted around and kissed him passionately. She was leaned against him, her back against his firm chest. His arms were around her waist, his chin rested on her shoulder. He was stroking her bare abdomen, causing pleasure to curl outward from the very core of her body.

He half smiled, returning the kiss. He loved the feel of her bare skin under his fingertips. Hell, he loved everything about her. He brushed back a lock of her hair, heavy with the added weight of the bath water, kissing her neck. She twisted around, hugging him tightly, her chest pressed up against him. Her innocent action -or was she _trying _to be seductive?- aroused him and his heart began to pound.

She grinned, feeling the smoldering passion between them. Everything was so wonderful at the moment. She wanted to stay forever in his arms, safe and happy, where nothing could ever harm either of them.

But leave they must and leave they did. The bathwater began to grow cold and she shivered in his arms. It was then that he knew it was time to leave. Lifting her dripping from the water, he grabbed a towel to wrap her in, lest she get cold.

She giggled, watching as he dried himself, then realized he had no clothes to put on. She was at that point dressed in her under layers; her kimono was streaked with blood from when she'd been hugging him. Everything he'd been wearing, however, was soaked in drying blood.

"…" He looked at her, his expression causing her to laugh harder. His hair was falling damp in his eyes and rivers of water ran down the contours of his muscular body. He looked perplexed and she couldn't help but laugh at him.

"I'll get you something to wear, Aoshi." She kissed him, running from the room.

He smiled after her, securing the towel around his waste in case any one happened into the bathhouse. Her mood had changed drastically, as if a tremendous wait had been lifted from her shoulders. He felt just about as carefree as she looked, even though he was harboring the guilt of Jishin's death.

She came running back into the room, carrying a yukata for him to put on. She had changed her own ensemble and looked very cheerful, her hair down long and flowing around her in a thick mass. "Here you go, Aoshi!"

"Thank you, Itachi." He pulled the robe on, fastening it around his waist, "Let's go see what our daughter is up to." He pulled her into his arms, "I think we've been ignoring her long enough."

"Oh…" She pouted, "We didn't…"

He put a finger to her lips, "Later, Itachi. When Aoi is asleep." He kissed her softly, leading her from the room.

Kenshin was cooking dinner, Kenji watching intently, a frown on his face. Kaoru was holding Aoi, who was getting pretty fussy. Yahiko was practicing with his bokken, swinging it viciously, an annoyed look on his face.

"Can't you get her to be quite?" The boy griped, "She's been crying all day."

"She misses her mama and papa, that she does." Kenshin said cheerfully, "She can tell that they've been under a lot of stress. Babies are sensitive."

"I'll take her."

"Misao-chan." Kaoru looked up gratefully, "I think she's hungry. There's nothing the rest of us can do about that."

"Aww…Sweetie, come here." She took the crying baby in her arms, kissing her on the forehead. "Mama's got you…Time for dinner."

Aoshi watched as she sat down and fed the baby. He loved to watch the two of them together; the two people he loved most in the world. He put an arm around Misao, his head on her shoulder. "I love you, Itachi."

"I love you too." She smiled at him, looking up from Aoi.

"I love Aoi too. I must apologize to her." He looked at the baby, happily latched on to her mother, oblivious to the world around her. "She should not have a father who kills people."

"You don't kill, Aoshi. You simply did what was necessary for us to be safe." She reached up from the baby, one small hand against his cheek, "But if it makes you feel better, when she's done you can talk to her. I don't think she'd want to be disturbed right now."

He smiled, burying his face in her hair. "Just being with the both of you makes me feel better." He said softly, "You are the love of my life. You're the reason I'm still alive. If I had lost you -if he had done anything to you- I would be lost."

"Aoshi…" He seemed so vulnerable. She had never seen him like that before. _He must have been terrified…My Aoshi….It was my fault…I never should have gotten involved with Jishin. Then we could have just been happy without all of this sorrow… _"I'm so sorry. This whole mess was my fault because I'm so hot-headed when I'm angry."

"No; I was the one you were angry with. It's my fault. If I hadn't been so much of a coward, I would have just told you I loved you and this whole thing could have been avoided. You are the only thing I have ever been so weak around. But doing things for you gives me a new strength. I would move mountains for you."

"Well, we're both sorry then. I guess this whole thing made us both grow up. Now it's time we put the past behind us and move to the future." She kissed him on the cheek.

He smiled, his fingers under her chin as he drew her up for a more suitable kiss. "We'll be happy. I promise, we'll be so happy; you, me and Aoi."

A satisfied smile crossed her face as she drew back from him. "Ai shiteru…"

"I also love you." He took Aoi from her and the baby lay in his lap, waving her tiny arms around. His fingers ran across her forehead, pushing back her feathery hair. "I'm sorry, Aoi. I'm sorry you had to see your father like that."

She stared up at him and he was amazed how he could meet her gaze and see himself in her icy eyes. She looked so much like him, the same dark hair, the same cool gaze. The resemblance was startling. He hoped she would grow to have Misao's carefree attitude, to be joyous in all she did.

Then she smiled, clasping his finger in hers. Her blue eyes danced and she yawned, letting out a small, contented sigh.

Misao looked at her husband. "She forgives you." She said softly, her face lit with happiness. "I forgive you and you forgive me. Can we go home now?"

"Soon enough, Itachi." He returned her smiled, "Soon enough."

***

Okay…I'm thinking maybe one more chapter and an epilogue. How's that? This chapter was really long and Tree requested I do another chapter of my original story, "The Rising" (which can be found at fictionpress.com if any one is interested…I write under the penname "Misha the Ogama Unpannin) and I have "Be Careful What You Wish For" and "Serendipity" to work on, so don't expect anything new with this too soon.

Hope you enjoyed all my mush!!! I raised the rating just to be safe…


	23. Real Life Begins

Lookie this! I'm finally updating. Not only have I been extremely lazy and suffering from intense writer's block, I have a chem lab that I should be working on. I'm actually putting it off right now to do this. *sighs*

Anyway, this is the last real chapter. The epilogue probably won't be more than a page or two, so enjoy this while it lasts!!

***

"Thank you so much for everything, Himura! You too, Kaoru! I'll miss you and you had better be able to come for my birthday this year!"

Aoshi smiled to himself at the loud and exuberant farewell his wife bade their friends. She had run back to hug Kaoru for the millionth time, leaving him holding little Aoi carefully in his arms as he stood on the train platform. 

It was a beautiful summer morning. Kaoru had surprised them with a pair of train tickets when it had been made clear that they were going home. Aoi was a month old, Jishin had been dead for three weeks and the Shinomori family was returning to Kyoto.

"Your mama is very happy now, ne?" He asked the baby, "This is what she is truly like. And how wonderful it is to see her this way after so long."

Aoi yawned, rubbing her eyes with one tiny fist. Then she looked up at him, a questioning look on her face. He smiled, brushing back her downy hair. She was a beautiful child, full of life and vitality. He was reminded so much of Misao as a child when he looked at her, despite the fact that Aoi looked like him.

"We'll try to make it for your birthday." Kaoru promised, "It all depends on how busy I am with my students."

"My birthday isn't for five more months! Just don't schedule any classes for then."

"We'll see." Kaoru hugged the younger woman again. "Take care of yourself, Misao. Go home and relax. Enjoy being a mother. You deserve it."

"Right. I'll send you letters. And you'd better be in Kyoto come November." The young ninja looked over her shoulder, "You too, Himura. And I'm sure Aoi would love having Kenji visit her." She tickled the little boy under the chin and he giggled.

"Are you done saying good-bye, Itachi?" Aoshi asked softly, "The train will be leaving soon." He shifted Aoi in his arms, lifting her up to his shoulder, where she rested her head, clutching his sleeve in one tiny hand.

"I'm coming." She bounded over to his side, her braid swinging behind her. She looked up at him, her eyes shining with happiness, "I suppose I am done saying good-bye."

He half smiled, patting Aoi on the back. "Let's go then. I'm sure every one is waiting for us at home."

__

Home…The word had never sounded more wonderful. Misao's smile widened as she thought about going back to the Aoiya. There would be a big celebration; every one would be so happy that they were back. And Aoi…They would be overjoyed with the tiny girl. She was such a perfect baby, and a beautiful one at that.

She waved over her shoulder one last time as she followed her beloved husband onto the train. He was carrying Aoi, holding her against his shoulder, and the baby seemed quite content with this arrangement. Her expression softened at the sight of them together. Aoshi -her big, tough Aoshi- was so sweet and gentle with their fragile daughter.

"Are you happy, Itachi?" He asked her as they settled into their compartment on the train, "We're going home."

"I'm very happy." She looked up at him, smiling, as she held out her arms for Aoi. He handed her the baby, who made a slight grunt of protest at being disturbed, then brushed back a lock of her dark hair. 

"I'm glad." He softly kissed her forehead, "Because when you're happy, it makes me very happy."

She felt her heart quiver with pleasure as his lips brushed along her forehead. He still had the power to leave her speechless with his kisses. She practically melted into the seat, hugging Aoi to her chest.

His smile widened as he took in the effects of his kiss. It was amusing to watch as she dissolved at his touch; lost her ability to speak, much less to think, rationally. He studied her intently, taking in her pretty face, framed by her mass of hair. She had grown even more beautiful over the past month, her joy heightening her attractiveness. 

"I'm glad," Her voice wavered slightly as she recovered, "I'm making you so happy."

"You're the only thing in life that could make me happy. You and now our Aoi." His fingers brushed along her cheek, pushing back stray strands of hair, "I will love you more with each passing day, because you are my-" He leaned forwards, placing a gentle kiss on her lips, "-Saving grace."

"All I did was love you…" She trailed off, unsure what to say. All of her life, she had dreamed he would say these things to her. He had been saying them for nearly nine months, and it still flustered her at times.

"Yes, but you loved me unconditionally. When I was unlovable. When I left you. When I made you cry. When I betrayed you. Even when I told you I never wanted to see you again. That is true love, Misao."

"Aoshi…" Her voice caught in her throat and her eyes welled up with tears. "Aoshi, you make me feel so wonderful…"

"You are wonderful. And I know all of this has been very hard on you. Getting back to normal is going to be difficult, and I know you're trying very hard. But the past nine months aren't just going to disappear." His hand brushed across her cheek and came to rest on her shoulder, "I'm so proud of you, Itachi."

"It has been really hard…" She looked down, rather than at him. Aoi was looking up at her, a thoughtful look on her little face. She smiled faintly, pushing back the baby's hair. Then she looked back up, her cerulean eyes meeting his. "But you make everything okay."

"I told you a long time ago, I will always take care of you. You are the most important thing in my life. You always have been. I always knew that no matter what, I got to come home to you."

"Aoshi…" She rested her head on his shoulder, smiling up at him, "I love you so much."

He put an arm around her, pulling her close to him, his face in her hair. She smelled good -like sakura blossoms- and her tresses were so soft. _I am content to stay as we are now for the rest of my life. I do love her so…Everything is over now. From this moment on, real life begins._

***

"We're home!" Misao burst through the door and into the Aoiya, Aoshi trailing behind her, carrying Aoi. "We're back, every one!"

The rest of the Oniwabanshu came running at the sound of her voice. It had been months since they'd all been together and the return of the Shinomori family was a joyous occasion. 

"Welcome back!" Okon exclaimed, tossing her arms around the young woman, "We've all missed you so much!"

"Let me see the baby!" Omasu looked expectantly up at Aoshi. He was taller than her; therefore she couldn't get a good look at Aoi. She -along with the rest of the group- had been shocked to learn that Aoi was born so soon. There had been much praying that the tiny child would live and now Omasu was eager to see the "miracle baby."

Aoi, startled by the cheerful ruckus all around her, began to cry. Aoshi rubbed her back soothingly, whispering to her as she buried her little face in his shoulder, muffling her cries. The smallest of smiles crossed his face. "She's just tired and cranky."

Misao managed to free herself from Okon's iron grip and she appeared at Aoshi's side, her hands held up to take the child from him. He reluctantly surrendered Aoi to her mother, who was immediately surrounded by the other Oniwabanshu.

Okina regarded Aoshi as he stood there, his usual deadpan expression on his face. "It appears that all three of you returned unharmed." He commented.

Aoshi nodded slightly. Physically, they were indeed all perfectly fine. Deep down, he wondered what sort of emotional toll this would have on his wife. Or on himself, for that matter. There had been several occasions over the past nine months where he had nearly lost her and that unnerved him. 

"She must be a beautiful baby, your Aoi. I see Misao has gotten even prettier while you were gone. She has grown to be quite the woman, Aoshi."

"Yes." He agreed. Misao had grown up considerably in the past months. She had matured in spirit and her body had matured along with her mind. No more was she the charming tomboy he had fallen in love with. She was a mother; a lover; his wife. Watching her there as she laughed amidst their friends, he saw her completely different. _I do love her so…_

A smile crossed his face. _I've moved on. I can finally be happy, now that I've dealt with my ghosts and I've faced all my demons. Finally, I am content with all of my past regrets. I have found so much strength in her -my one weakness- and now…Peace. There is happiness. With her…_

Okon and Omasu were taking turns holding the tiny baby; Shiro and Kuro watching, studying the child intently and pointing out the similarities between her and each of her parents. Okina was peering over Omasu's shoulder, getting his first good look at the little girl who was the future of the Oniwabanshu.

Misao had wandered back over to Aoshi and was looking up at him, a sweet smile on her face. She wrapped her thin arms around his waist, her head against his chest. "We're home." She grinned, "And it feels so nice; like the end of a very long day."

He returned both the smile and the hug, his icy eyes dancing with happiness. Then he leaned over to kiss her, ignoring the giggles of the other two women as they watched their beloved ex-leader caught in an open display of affection. 

"Look at him…" Okon whispered loudly, "I've never seen him like that before!"

"He's shameless…" Omasu agreed, still giggling, "Misao must be wearing off on him."

"But kissing her like that in front of us all…How dare he?" Okon asked, half kidding, which brought about more giggles.

Aoshi straightened, looking at the two of them oddly. His hand rested on Misao's shoulder and she was smiling like there was no tomorrow. _Perhaps I am giving them reason to be so shocked. But I can't help it. I'm so content with the way everything has turned out…_

"You guys must be starving. Come on, there's plenty to eat. And I want to hear all the news from Tokyo." Omasu herded them all towards the dinning room as Kuro handed the baby back to Misao. "You must have so many stories to tell…"

***

"I'm exhausted." Misao snuggled into Aoshi's embrace late that night, "I don't know why she couldn't wait until tomorrow to hear all the little details about everything. It's not like it was the happiest story ever told."

"You wouldn't like not knowing what happened to the people you care about, Itachi." He said gently, encircling her in his arms. "They've all been very worried about us." 

"I know." She sighed, "But we've been traveling. I just wanted to take a nice long bath and I didn't get a chance."

"My poor Itachi." He teased, burying his face in her hair, "Riding on that train all day must have been so tiring."

She swatted his arm. "Don't tease me."

"I wouldn't _dream _of it."

"There! You did it again!" She twisted around to look at him, "You know what you get for that?"

"I'm afraid I don't." He went along with her little game, stroking her hair while she grinned up at him evilly.

She wrapped her arms around him, nestling against him only to feel him stiffen at her touch. She smirked, her chest pressed against his as she hugged him tightly. His eyebrow twitched; he was trying to keep a straight face even though he wanted to melt into her. How does she do this to me?

"Do you want me?" She whispered seductively in his ear. Her chest was squashed between them, she knew he enjoyed her new figure that had been the result of her pregnancy. She felt like more of a woman than ever before and hoped he appreciated it. "Do you want to make love to me?"

"…" He was stunned silent by her forwardness, his cold eyes widening with surprise. _Sweet Buddha in Heaven…_

She laughed. "I'll take that as a yes." She kissed him passionately, nuzzling against him, arousing him even more.

"Stop…" He mumbled, trying not to give into her so easily. It wasn't working very well. The usually calm, collected ninja was ready to dive right into her. His body trembled with desire; a fire raged within him. _Am I going out of my mind?…Ah; I'm so weak when it comes to her. I need to level the playing field._

He rolled over, taking her with him and pinning her down. "You know what _you _get now, Itachi?" He pushed back her hair, his face close to hers; staring into her eyes.

"No." She smiled impishly, "What?" 

He remained silent for a moment, allowing the suspense to build. She looked at him expectantly, her eyes wide and questioning; she could only imagine what would come next.

Nothing ever did come of it, however, for it was at that moment Aoi began to cry. Aoshi drew back slightly, a string of curses running through his mind. Their daughter always seemed to cry at the most inopportune times. "I'll go get her. You wait here." He rose, pausing to brush his hand across her cheek. He kissed her softly, then wandered out of the room.

She drew her knees up to her chest, sighing. _She always manages to ruin things…_She fingered the fabric of their blankets. _He was ready to fall into my arms, to take me…And she started to cry, same as it's been every night for the past month. This is so frustrating…But I do love my Aoi-chan. _

"Here she is, Mama." Aoshi handed the fussy little girl to her mother, settling himself back on the bed.

She took the little girl, smiling down at her. "Are you a hungry little girl?" She touched her nose, "Are you my hungry baby? Mama knows what you want…" 

Aoshi watched impatiently, wishing their daughter would go back to sleep so they could continue where they left off. 

Aoi, it seemed, had other things in mind. She continued to fuss and whimper after she ate, as if trying to say she didn't want to leave them. Neither of her parents had any objection to this; they both loved her immensely.

"Isn't she beautiful?" Misao looked up happily as she rocked Aoi in her arms, "We made her; me and you. I guess there was a happy ending after all of this."

"Ending?" He smiled, taking both his wife and his daughter in his arms, "From this moment on, our real life begins."

***

Hum…I can't believe I wrote all this mush while I'm so down on love -.-"

I guess there'll be a short epilogue, unless you think I don't need one. Quite frankly, while sad that this is ending, I am glad I can focus more on other fics now. I haven't updated Okamainaku or Be Careful What You Wish For; Inu-Shounen was bugging me about The Rising and I have a beginning for the next chap of Serendipity. I have plenty to keep me busy!


	24. Epilogue, Thanks to You and My Future Pl...

I'm so sad. This is the end of "How Dare He?" I hope you enjoy it.

***

Early one November morning…

Misao Shinomori woke up to the weight of her slumbering husband on top of her. His arms were around her, holding her close to him. She snuggled deeper into his arms, a contented sigh escaping her lips. _Life is good…_

"Mm…Happy birthday, Itachi." Aoshi mumbled, his icy eyes blinking open. Inwardly, he was singing. Waking up with his tiny wife in his arms was the greatest joy in his life.

"Thank you, Aoshi." She smiled, looking up at him through eyes full of unconditional love. 

His heart melted at the sight of her in the morning sunlight and his fingers traced the smile on her lips. He kissed her softly, his long bangs tickling her forehead. "I love you." His voice gave the quiet reminder, as if she didn't remember.

"Like I don't already know." Her smile melted into a grin, "But you can kiss me better than that on my birthday, can't you?" One small, pale hand stroked his cheek, her soft skin like butterfly wings against his.

"As you wish." He leaned back over her, his lips meeting hers, when-

"WAAAAAHHH!!!!!" 

"That would be Aoi…" She sighed in disappointment, "Go get her, please?"

Aoshi nodded; rising, stretching and running his hands through his hair. The baby's muffled cries continued as her father padded out the door to go and fetch her from the room next door.

Misao sat up, yawning. She distinctly recalled her last birthday; the disappointment of Aoshi telling her nothing, the trip to the Shirobeko, Jishin and his declaration of love…Never would she have guessed that all those things would lead to the happiness she had then. If some one had told her on her eighteenth birthday that in a year she would have a child with her beloved Aoshi -much less be _married _to him- she would have laughed hysterically.

"Here she is to tell her mama happy birthday." Aoshi had appeared back in the doorway, the then-smiling Aoi in his arms. 

"Gah!" She babbled happily, her dark eyes lighting up at the sight of her mother. She was half a year old, slightly bigger than she had been, and an absolute joy to both her parents. 

"There's my girl!" Misao grinned as Aoshi handed her the baby and settled back down on the bed. She tickled the little girl, smiling as Aoi squealed with laughter. 

Aoshi watched them fondly, stroking back the child's feathery hair. "It's your mama's birthday." He told her quietly, "If it weren't for her birthday last year and everything that happened, you wouldn't even exist."

"Aoshi…" Misao said softly, "I never would have married Jishin. My heart has always belonged to you."

A soft smile crossed his face. "I'm so glad to hear that." He kissed her, "Now, we have a busy day ahead of us."

***

"Happy birthday, Misao!" 

Misao, seated at the head of the table in the Shirobeko, her daughter on her lap and her husband at her side, looked at every one gathered around her. All of her "family" from the Aoiya, Himura, Kaoru, Kenji, Yahiko, Sanosuke, Megumi…A grin spread across her face. "Thank you, everybody!"

She had just been presented with a beautiful cake, scrawled across it: _Happy Birthday Misao_. Nineteen candles flickered merrily, waiting to be blown out. It was quite the birthday celebration.

"What are you waiting for?" Kaoru asked, "Blow out the candles and make a wish!" Kenji was in her arms, looking at the cake eagerly as she restrained him from grabbing it.

"A wish…?" Misao frowned in concentration, "What is there to wish for? I have everything I want." She looked down at Aoi, who looked up and smiled impishly.

Aoshi smiled freely, allowing every one to see his contentment. "I'm sure there's something you can wish for, Itachi." He said teasingly, "A wish I would be willing to grant later on."

She stuck her tongue out at him, blushing at what he was implying. Then she leaned over, and as she blew out the candles, a single thought crossing her mind: He actually managed to embarrass me. How dare he?

***

That's all. The end. La fin…Owari…NO MORE!! Sorry if that makes you sad. ^^;;

I want to thank every one who reviewed. It was all of you who made this story such a hit. I really appreciate your support and enthusiasm.

I have a new fic in mind to work on (besides Be Careful What You Wish For and Serendipity), now that this is complete. During sociology this morning, I was thinking of a present-day, AU fic featuring the RK cast in the big city. It would be cannon coupling, Kaoru a teacher at an inner city school, Yahiko her student, Misao about to graduate high school and living with a MUCH older man (Aoshi). Shishio runs a law firm, Sojiro's his intern, Saito is the police commissioner and what happens when you throw an abused original character into the mix?

What do you think? Is this worth writing? Or should I not bother at all? Lemme know!!!

Thanks again for reading and I love you all!!!

-Chaos


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